Hydrochemical and Quality Assessment of Groundwater Resources in Al-Madinah City, Western Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Fifty-four groundwater samples were collected from Hamra Alasad in Al-Madinah City. The chemical and microbial characteristics of the samples were analyzed and compared with their respective standards. The results revealed that 90.7% of the samples showed higher amounts of NO3. However, 59.3% of the samples were found unfit for irrigation purposes due to a high salinity hazard. Most of the groundwater samples were highly saline, yet no sodicity hazards were anticipated as predicted by sodium adsorption ratio (SAR). Generally, the soluble cations and anions, dissolved salts, boron, and NO3− exceeded the maximum permissible limits for drinking water in most of the samples; however, Pb, Cd, As, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, Mn, and Cr were within the permissible limits. Furthermore, 42.6%, 24.1%, 18.5%, 14.8%, 1.9%, and 37.0% of the samples were infected by a total coliforms group, fecal coliform, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus sp., Salmonella sp., and Shigilla sp., respectively. The water quality index revealed that 3.7% of the samples were good for drinking (class II), and 9.3% were very poor (class IV). The remaining samples were unfit for drinking (class V) due to high salinity and/or microbial contamination. Durov and Piper diagrams revealed that the majority of water samples were of the calcium sulfate–chloride type. Overall, 87% of water samples were inappropriate for drinking purposes, while 77.8% were unsuitable for irrigation.

Applying the sub-index model to evaluate the quality of water for irrigation purposes, a case study: wells water of left side from Mosul city, Iraq

“…The weighted mathematical model (IWQ1) referred to by the researchers (Agyemang, 2020;Alghamdi et al, 2020) was used and this model was applied using eleven criteria (as shown in Table 2) to assess water quality and the water quality index was calculated. (WQI) according to the following four equations:…”

Hydrogeophysical Study of Sub-Basaltic Alluvial Aquifer in the Southern Part of Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia

“…The high salinity is observed for groundwater in both aquifers. The high salinity percentage may be attributed to either dissolved salts from evaporation ponds or anthropogenic activities associated with irrigation return flow and bottled water treatment factories that discharge saline water into the aquifer [20,31,33]. Consequently, an integrated approach for reconstructing and characterizing the sub-surface hydrostratigraphy at the scales of the main aquifer systems and identifying the aquifer hydraulic parameters are essential for planning future sustainable developments.…”

“…Two buried wadis lie underneath the Rahat volcanic area with alluvial deposit thickness exceeding 50 m. The average thickness of the alluvial unit associated with the aquifer buried underneath this area varies from 15 m to ~40 m (maximum thickness in the center of the wadi Alhamd: ~50 m) [30]. The average annual input and output from the sub-basaltic alluvium aquifers are about 2.95 × 10 7 m 3 and 4.05 × 10 7 m 3 , respectively, reflecting a shortage of 1.1 × 10 7 m 3 , causing a decline in the groundwater levels up to 0.1 to 0.15 m/month [31]. The upper layer is an aquitard (thickness: 1-20 m) that extends over Al-Madinah City and is formed mainly from impervious clay and silty clay.…”

Assessment of Groundwater Quality and the Main Controls on Its Hydrochemistry in a Changing Climate in Morocco (Essaouira Basin)

“…Furthermore, using the IDW tool of Arcgis software version 10.2 (ESRI 1999), the spatial distribution of the estimated WQI values in the Essaouira basin was obtained. The model of the Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI) was created as a practical hydrogeological tool for assessing the overall quality of irrigation groundwater [61,62], as amended by Verma [63]. As shown in Table 3, eleven factors were used in the research region to assess water quality for irrigation purposes.…”

“…As shown in Table 3, eleven factors were used in the research region to assess water quality for irrigation purposes. Each attribute is given a weight based on its relative importance [61,62,64]. Because of its significance and influence on plant growth and soil quality, electrical conductivity, for example, is given a weighting of five.…”