Groundwater as an alternative source to irregular surface water in the O'Kiep area, Namaqualand, South Africa

Abstract

Water insecurity is a growing concern globally and the role of groundwater and aquifers in buffering the effects of climate variability and change is increasingly acknowledged due to extended periods of drought in arid regions. Water security can only be fully realised with a more robust understanding of groundwater as a water resource, especially in the O'Kiep area which is in Namaqualand, South Africa. Results of analyses of groundwater samples (n ¼ 8) indicated that pH values met acceptable standards for drinking, while the total dissolved solids (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC) were however not within the recommended limits. The chemical composition of the groundwater indicated Eh values À 34.1 to À 87.2 mV, indicative of reducing geochemical conditions with the most abundant ions being Cl -, SO 4 2-, NO 3 -, F -, Na þ , Ca 2þ , Mg 2þ and K þ . Furthermore, some of the ions were not within the guidelines, i.e. Cl À , SO 4 2þ , Na þ , Ca 2þ and Mg 2þ , but all the potential toxic elements,

Water Security Assessment of Groundwater Quality in an Anthropized Rural Area from the Atlantic Forest Biome in Brazil

“…This parameter directly influences the distribution of elements The pH represents a unit related to the activities of H + ions, which indicates in its expression's indices of neutrality, acidity or alkalinity. When comparing this parameter in the three hydrological compartments in the two climatic periods (wet and dry), there is a predominance of acidic pH in the hydrological compartment 1 (HC1), while the hydrological compartment 2 (HC2) presented an index of alkalinity in the studied period, which is similar to work conducted on groundwater as an alternative source to an irregular surface water in Namaqualand, South Africa [3].…”

“…In the studied area, the pH may result from natural geologic-soil-water interactions, or trace the environment's quality, which includes the water source, land degradation, or deforestation [2,3,6], among other factors that occur in the region. In the environment, aquatic systems showing low pH values may be related to weathering processes [3]. Some lithological structures, when weathered, contribute by releasing acid-forming elements [6].…”

“…The management of water resources as well as the sustainability of groundwater and surface water systems are topics of great concern [1][2][3]. Water covers 71% of the Earth's surface, but only 0.3% is available for drinking water [4].…”

“…Water governance is an excellent alternative for understanding and developing ways for water security [3,13] as well as seeking sustainable ways to exploit the groundwater resource to ensure human development [14] and integrated management [15]. Thus, environmental laws and guidelines are responsible for ensuring groundwater quality standards for consumption [16].…”

Appraising groundwater potential zones using geospatial and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques in Andasa-Tul watershed, Upper Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia

“…Presently, life and any development activities in different countries have become strongly dependent on existence of groundwater resource (Kebede 2013;Erdogan et al 2019) unlike surface water that can easily be affected by drought (Nofal et al 2018) and pollution (Diamantini et al 2018). Groundwater has the advantage of having wide area occurrence, buffer climate variability, better natural protection, cheaper development cost, ecological sustainability and demand based application flexibility at field condition (Hancock et al 2005;Karamouz et al 2011;Kebede 2013;Erdogan et al 2019).…”