Seawater Intrusion Impacts on the Water Quality of the Groundwater on theNorthwest Coast of Oman

Abstract

The groundwater aquifer in the coastal region of the northwest of Oman has been used extensively since the early 1980s for agricultural, industrial and municipal purposes. The over pumping of this reservoir has led to the intrusion of seawater and therefore to the deterioration of the groundwater quality. In this study, an investigation was carried out in the southern part of this region to identify the quality of groundwater, to understand the main sources of groundwater mineralisation, and to check the suitability of groundwater for drinking and irrigation. The spatial distributions and temporal variations of groundwater level and electrical conductivity were studied for the period from 1982 to 2005 using data collected from 225 wells. In addition, groundwater samples were collected recently in 2012 from eight wells and analysed for pH, EC, and major ions to understand the sources of dissolved ions and assess the chemical quality of the groundwater. The study area was divided into two strips parallel to the coastline, A and B, located in the discharge and recharge parts of the aquifer, respectively. Results showed a significant increase in the degree of water mineralisation in the direction of south to north following the regional flow direction. Results showed also that the groundwater in the last area could be used for irrigation with little danger of exchangeable sodium while this aquifer is unsuitable for irrigation in the discharge area because it presents a very high salinity hazard.

Water resources availability, sustainability and challenges in the GCC countries: An overview

“…He reported that under the prevailing conditions, the groundwater levels in Salalah area would drop significantly allowing for the inland advancement of seawater. Ahmed and Askeri [ 73 ] studied the seawater intrusion impact on the groundwater quality of the northwest coast of Oman. The seawater intrusion was reported to extend inland up to 8 km from Oman's coast.…”

“…Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) technology and its derivatives Soil Aquifer Treatment (SAT) and Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) represent a new technique for supply side management [ 63 , 73 , 82 ]. A number of GCC countries started to investigate the use of MAR/SAT/ASR to improve water supply management and sustainability, including small- and large-scale flood capture and banking (MAR and ASR), tertiary wastewater treatment through SAT, and banking of desalination water in brackish aquifers (ASR).…”

Status of seawater intrusion in coastal aquifer of Gujarat, India: a review

“…The degree of SWI is expected to associate with the climate change effects like an increase in sea-level and rise of temperature and reduction of precipitation, coupled with excess groundwater abstraction. The origin of SWI is wide-ranging, for example, over-withdrawal and the variation between the densities of seawater and freshwater [26]. The manifestation of SWI owing to over-exploitation of groundwater detectable within the coastal regions because of a decline in groundwater levels [27].…”

Detection and Delineation of Lateral and Vertical Extent to Fresh-Saline Water Boundary: Recent Development in Badagary Axis of the Dahomey Basin, Nigeria

“…Cases of salt water incursion into coastal aquifer and its consequential effect on the quality of portable fresh water as well as lives and properties, have received worldwide attention and has been reported in several parts of the world (Qi and Qiu 2011 [1]; Werner et al, 2012 [2]; Edwards and Evans 2013 [3]; Elsheikh and Zeinelabdein 2015 [4]; Ahmed and Askri 2016 [5]; Gururaja et al, '2019[6]; Behera et. al.'…”