Physical–chemical evaluation of groundwater quality in semi-arid areas: case study—Sabzevar plain, Iran

Abstract

Groundwater is one of the most important water sources in arid and semi-arid areas. With the increasing world population and the water demand for agriculture and urban use, the need for water resources has increased, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, where groundwater resources play a significant role. To prevent the pollution of groundwater resources, various studies for their preservation and maintenance should be carried out, including a detailed plan for proper management of water resources and establishing a balance between water quality and how to use them. It becomes important to understand the spatial change of the quality of groundwater resources. In this study, Sabzevar plain, a typical region of semi-arid climate in Iran, was selected as a case study to assess the groundwater quality of the region, using data from 24 observation wells between 2015 and 2019. Using Arc GIS software, a map of groundwater quality parameters in the study area was prepared for quality assessment and comparison with existing international standards. The results showed that (except pH and HCO3−) the concentration of Sodium, Magnesium, and other anions and cations is higher than the corresponding WHO standard limit, suggesting that the study area is unsuitable for drinking and agricultural use. According to the Wilcox chart, 87.5% of the samples are in the C4S4 class while 8.33% are in the C4S3 class, showing the groundwater unsuitable for agricultural use due to its high salinity and alkalinity. Piper diagrams show that more than 50% of the samples are non-carbonate alkalis, indicating a very high salinity in the area. According to the pie chart, chlorine ion and sodium ion are the dominant anions and cations in the Sabzevar plain, respectively. The Schuler diagram shows that none of the samples examined were in a good class for drinking. Therefore, considering the importance of water for agricultural activities in the study area, it is recommended to have agricultural management solutions to prevent groundwater mixing with freshwater resources.

Groundwater quality assessment for domestic and agricultural purposes using GIS, hydrochemical facies and water quality indices: case study of Rafsanjan plain, Kerman province, Iran

“…9). diagram (1977) is the most popular method to classify the suitability of drinking water quality (Alavi et al 2016, Almodaresi et al 2019, Panahi et al 2021). The diagram is based on the concentration of major cations (Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Na + ), anions (Cl − , HCO 3− , SO 4 2+ ), total dissolved solids (TDS) and total hardness (TH).…”

Funnel and Gate Permeable Reactive Barrier Configuration for Contaminated Groundwater Remediation – Designing, Installation, and Modeling: A Review

“…In dry and semi-arid areas, groundwater is one of the most important sources of water. Due the expanding worldwide population and growing demands for water for both urban and agriculture uses [6]. For millions of people in poor nations, groundwater is considered as a unique source of safe drinking water [7,8].…”

Groundwater Nitrate Contamination in Arid Areas of Haidong

“…Research has indicated that in rural areas, the leakage of agricultural fertilizers and the discharge of livestock manure are the primary contributors to nitrate pollution [7][8][9]. However, in urban areas, with the growth of urban populations, the main sources of nitrate pollution have shifted to domestic sewage discharge and landfill leakage [10][11][12][13]. Compared to deep groundwater, nitrate pollution in shallow groundwater is more common and has been studied more [14][15][16][17][18].…”

“…Among the numerous studies on nitrate pollution in groundwater, hydrochemical, isotopic, and multivariate statistical methods are the most commonly used methods [7,26,27,31,32]. However, these studies mostly focus on cities located in plains, and there is a lack of research on cities located in river valleys [12,14,19].…”