Assessment of groundwater suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes in the middle Cheliff Aquifer, Algeria
Saci Nadjai, Abdelkader Bouderbala, Hichem Khammar, Abdelkader Nadir Nabed, Lahcen Benaabidate
Abstract
The Semi-arid Middle Cheliff zone faces the deteriorating quality of the available water resources. This study aims to evaluate the quality of these waters for drinking and irrigation purposes based on 12 well samples analyzed for their chemical components: Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, HCO3-, Cl-, SO42-, NO3; and physical characteristics: pH, EC, TDS. Two common hydrochemical facies were identified by the analyses: sulfate-sodium and chloride-sodium. The water quality index indicated that most of the drinking water samples fell into the extremely low to non-potable category, while the Groundwater Quality Index for Irrigation (WQII) showed medium to very poor quality for most parts of the plain. Parameters including sodium adsorption ratio, sodium percentage, residual sodium carbonate, permeability index, Kelly ratio, potential salinity, and magnesium risk were evaluated for irrigation and drinking water usage that exceeded regulations. As a result, the study finds that there are health concerns associated with the drinking water and that remediation is required. Nonetheless, the fields in the area are not seriously threatened by irrigation water, except for delicate crops. The method was successful in evaluating groundwater quality for drinking water and irrigation.