Groundwater Quality and Sustainability Evaluation for Irrigation Purposes: A Case Study in an Arid Region, Iraq

Abstract

Water resources are of great importance in the world's agriculture, especially regarding the scarcity of these resources. That calls for attention appropriate for analysis, study, and research in all issues and aspects that would contribute to the development and maintenance of those resources and achieve the maximum possible levels of quality and efficiency of use. The study was conducted during the fall season of 2020 to study groundwater quality (well water) in the city of Al-Qaim of Anbar Province to explain its suitability for agricultural exploitation in the region. The study included seven sites in Al-Qaim (Rtemi, Medicis, Eastern Akash, Okesha, Sawab, Albu-Hayat, and Al-Karah) to assess the validity of irrigation. The pH, Electrical conductivity (EC), positive ions (K+, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+), and negative ions (HCO3, Cl-2, SO4) and CO3 were measured. The results showed that the studied well water is acceptable for irrigation purposes in terms of pH value, as for the electrical connection, it was six wells within the class (C2), which is adequate for irrigation for medium-salty crops, except for one well, which is a fine well within class C3 suitable for irrigation of high salinity crops. The total hardness values were low and did not pose any risk; as for the positive and negative ions, they were within the permissible limits within the specified classifications. By measuring the positive ions, the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) value was calculated and determined to be within the class S1, which means that the groundwater in the region is suitable for irrigation.

Hydrochemistry and an appraisal of surface water and groundwater quality for domestic and irrigation use in parts of Southern Benue Trough, Nigeria

“…This according to the authors (Singh et al. 2013 ; Khudair et al 2022 ), is in tandem with the assertion which indicates carbonate dissolution processes in groundwater.…”

“…Most rural communities in Nigeria depend on water resources to meet their daily requirements. It is believed that groundwater in terms of quality, is more reliable compared to surface water which is continuously contaminated by human activities (Ayuba et al 2017 ; Khudair et al 2022 ). However, some groundwater sources could also be contaminated through geogenic and anthropogenic processes.…”

Towards the Generation of a Spatial Hydrological Soil Group Map Based on the Radial Basis Network Model and Spectral Reflectance Band Recognition

“…The Western desert of Iraq is a vast area, and soil data are scarce [32][33][34][35]. Remote sensing is an efficient tool to provide a database of soil maps in digital form.…”

Optimal Allocation Model for Sustainable and Economic Water Sources in Rutba City West of Iraq

“…Al-Anbar Province is characterized by the availability of sufficient water resources compared to the needs of users, but the distribution of these resources is not balanced with all the cities of the province, as the Euphrates River, which supplies the province with the bulk of its water needs, passes through most of its main cities, Figure 1. However, the desert cities west of Anbar which is far from the Euphrates River continued to suffer from the issue of providing water sources to feed the drinking water distribution networks, and the issue became urgent after the population increased and the expansion of cities in recent years [9], [10]. The city of Rutba, the far west of Iraq, was chosen as a case study, where this city is currently supplied with water through three sources.…”