Groundwater Hydrochemical Characteristics and Water Quality in Egypt’s Central Eastern Desert

Abstract

The rapid expansion of economic activities in Egypt’s Central Eastern Desert has resulted in poorly coordinated groundwater development, having a negative impact on the resource. This study was conducted to assess the hydrochemical characteristics of the different aquifers in the Central Eastern Desert, with an emphasis on the impact of seawater intrusion and groundwater quality for different purposes. A total of 21 groundwater samples were collected representing the three main aquifers (Eocene Carbonate, Nubian Sandstone, and Fractured Basement) in the Central Eastern Desert, and analyzed for major ions and trace elements. The majority of the samples had electrical conductivity values that exceeded the salinity limit for natural water. Groundwater saline load is primarily influenced by sodium, calcium, chloride, and sulfate concentrations. The groundwater in the Central Eastern Desert mainly consists of Na-Cl, Ca-Cl, and Na-SO4 water-types. Saltwater intrusion and water-rock interactions via cation exchange and minerals weathering are the primary controlling factors of groundwater hydrochemistry. The high salinity of this groundwater renders it unsuitable for irrigation or consumption. Additionally, it is unfit for domestic use based on total hardness values. Furthermore, the Al, Cd, Fe, Mn, and Ni concentrations in the investigated groundwater exceed the allowable limits for human consumption. Proper mitigation measures and adaptation strategies are required for groundwater sustainability in the Central Eastern Desert.

Effects of NaCl and CaCl2 as Eustress Factors on Growth, Yield, and Mineral Composition of Hydroponically Grown Valerianella locusta

“…Groundwater salinization due to the presence of salts such as NaCl and CaCl 2 is a growing concern in several regions of the world, including coastal, arid, and semi-arid areas such as those of the Mediterranean basin, Iran, India, Egypt, South Africa, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]. These salts can come from various sources such as seawater intrusion, dissolution of minerals in rocks, and anthropogenic activities [ 41 ].…”

Research on Hydrolithospheric Processes Using the Results of Groundwater Inflow Testing

“…Often, examining the graphical representation of a process is adequate to identify non-stationarity [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] in a series. However, to provide statistically robust evidence of stationarity, specific techniques are necessary.…”

“…However, their methodologies are not directly applicable to developing three-dimensional models of spatially distributed objects. The analysis of distributed systems, particularly in the frequency domain, was explored in [21][22][23]. Recent research in control systems with distributed parameters, particularly the works of Director JSC "Narzan" and A.V.…”

Assessment and Modeling of the Vulnerability of Regional Aquifers to Anthropogenic Perturbations

“…The ratio of this relationship was 3.3, and the correlation coefficient was 0.65, suggesting that minerals of carbonate are the main source of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ in comparison to silicate minerals, which is also confirmed by the positive correlation between Ca 2+ and HCO 3 − (Figure 4b). Other researchers have also noted the impact of carbonate mineral dissolution on aquifer hydrochemistry (Al-Omran et al, 2017; Saleh et al, 2023).…”