Spatial and Temporal Variation of Groundwater Quality within Omdurman Locality Geological Zone

Abstract

Groundwater is one of the main sources of water supply in many countries. Sudan has great potential of renewable and nonrenewable groundwater resources, which are important sources of water supply for domestic, industrial and agricultural uses. Omdurman locality is one of the biggest localities in Khartoum State, the capital of Sudan. The geological units in this area are composed of superficial deposits, volcanic rocks, Cretaceous sedimentary rocks and Basement Complex. Basement rocks representing the blanket upon which other formations were deposited, more or less subsurface occurrence to considerable depths. Groundwater quality may not remain unchanged, it undergoes temporal and spatial changes due to different reasons such as annual recharge, pollution and mass circulation. Quality may be changed to an extent that it may be unfit for the intended uses. This study aimed to assess the spatial and temporal variation of groundwater quality in Omdurman locality, Sudan in term of its physiochemical property.A quantitative Comparative study was used for three previous studies carried out in the area during three sequential years 2012, 2013 and 2014. The mean and maximum concentrations of six parameters obtained in those three studies were compared. Although the study area of three previous studies has the same geological feature, great spatial variation and temporal fluctuation among the physiochemical characteristics were noticed. Some parameters showed gradual increase in concentration during three subsequent years,2012-2014 such as sulfate while other parameters showed fluctuation during the same period such as sodium. Many parameters records levels of concentration exceeded both national and international standard levels. Routine check out of the physiochemical quality of the groundwater sources and investigating pollution sources among the borehole in the study area are highly recommended.