Groundwater Quality and Irrigation Suitability in Carbonate Aquifers of Semi-Arid Regions: A Case Study from the Dammam Aquifer, Southern Iraq
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Groundwater serves as the primary source of freshwater in arid and semi-arid rural regions due to low precipitation, limited surface water, and growing socio-economic activities. Understanding the hydrogeochemical processes that influence groundwater quality is essential for effective management and long-term sustainability. This study evaluates the hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater within the Dammam Formation in the Samawa region of southern Iraq based on data from 30 wells. Laboratory analyses include measuring pH, EC, TDS, total hardness (TH), major cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺), and anions (SO₄²⁻, Cl⁻, NO₃⁻, HCO₃⁻). Groundwater suitability for human consumption was assessed using the Groundwater Quality Index (GWQI) according to World Health Organization (WHO) standards. In contrast, irrigation suitability was evaluated using sodium percentage (%Na), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), permeability index (PI), magnesium hazard (MH), and Wilcox and USSL classification charts. GWQI results showed that 6.67% of samples were "excellent," 6.67% were "good," 66.67% were "poor," 6.67% were "very poor," and 13.33% were "unfit for drinking." Piper diagram analysis indicated 87% of samples in the Ca-Cl field and 13% in the Ca-Mg-Cl field. Wilcox's results revealed 70% of samples were unsuitable for irrigation and 30% of uncertain use. PI results showed 93.33% in class II, suitable for irrigation, and 63.33% with no magnesium hazard. The study recommends desalination with monitoring of sodium, chloride, and sulfate to improve groundwater quality.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Journal of Studies in Science and Engineering is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY-4.0).
References
Fanack Water. "Water Quality in Iraq." Fanack Water. https://water.fanack.com/iraq/water-quality-in-iraq/ (accessed Jan 13, 2025).
T. Mohanakavitha et al., "Dataset on the assessment of water quality of surface water in Kalingarayan Canal for heavy metal pollution, Tamil Nadu," Data in Brief, vol. 22, pp. 878-884, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2019.01.010.
K. H. Jodhani et al., "Sustainable groundwater management through water quality index and geochemical insights in Valsad India," Scientific Reports, vol. 15, no. 1, p. 8769, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92053-1.
S. A. Abed, S. H. Ewaid, and N. Al-Ansari, "Evaluation of water quality in the Tigris River within Baghdad, Iraq using multivariate statistical techniques," Journal of Physics: Conference Series, vol. 1294, no. 7. p. 072025, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1294/7/072025.
N. A. H. Alharbawee and A. J. Mohammed, "Water quality assessment of Tigris River using multivariate statistical techniques," Iraqi Journal of Science, vol. 65, no. 3, pp. 1266-1275, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.24996/ijs.2024.65.3.8.
M. A. Al-Dabbas, I. A. Al-Ali, and M. M. Husain, "Water quality assessment of the Euphrates River from Haditha to Al-Nasiriyah, Iraq," Iraqi Geological Journal, vol. 57, no. 2B, pp. 272-285, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.46717/igj.57.2B.18ms-2024-8-28.
K. Manoj and P. K. Padhy, "Discourse and review of environmental quality of river bodies in India: An appraisal of physico-chemical and biological parameters as indicators of water quality," Current World Environment, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 537-571, 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.12944/CWE.10.2.20.
H. A. Alfalahi and A. S. Aldhamin, "Effect of pollutants on phytoplankton biodiversity in the Tigris and Diyala Rivers in Baghdad Province," Journal of Ecological Engineering, vol. 26, no. 3, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.12911/22998993/197497.
M. M. Sharqi, A.-N. A. Al-Tamimi, and O. M. Hassan, "Evaluation of Euphrates River Water Quality on Phytoplankton Biodiversity in Ramadi, Iraq," Borneo Journal of Resource Science and Technology, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 19-30, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.33736/bjrst.6858.2024.
I. A. A. Al-Bahathy, Z. Z. Al-Janabi, R. A. Taha, and M. M. Adel, "Biodiversity of Cladocera and water quality for Euphrates River in the eastern of Al-Qadisiyah Governorate, Iraq," Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 1-7, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.21608/ejabf.2024.334488.
S. M. Abed, K. H. Y. Alaraji, and R. H. Essa, "Assessment of the biological and physiochemical properties of groundwater in Al-Muthanna Province, Iraq," EurAsian Journal of BioSciences, vol. 14, no. 2, 2020.
K. K. Fatah, M. Hamed, M. H. Saeed, and R. Dara, "Evaluation groundwater quality by using GIS and water quality index techniques for wells in Bardarash area, Northern Iraq," Iraqi Geological Journal, pp. 87-104, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.46717/igj.53.2c.7Rs-2020-09.07.
A. A. F. Beg, S. M. Awadh, M. B. Thamer, and A. H. Al-Sulttani, "Assessment of groundwater quality for drinking purposes using water quality index, and identifying the affecting mechanism in Rashdiya, Central Iraq," Iraqi Geological Journal, pp. 20-32, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.46717/igj.54.1F.3ms-2021-06-23.
A. A. Rashid, M. A. Al-Dabbas, and W. H. Kadhim, "Assessment of groundwater quality for drinking in Tuz Khurmatu area, Salahadden Governorate, Iraq," Iraqi Geological Journal, pp. 91-103, 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.46717/igj.39-49.2.7Ms-2016-12-30.
A. P. Dimri et al., "Climate change, cryosphere and impacts in the Indian Himalayan Region," Current Science, vol. 120, no. 5, pp. 774-790, 2021.
A. M. Al-Abadi, A. E. Fryar, A. A. Rasheed, and B. Pradhan, "Assessment of groundwater potential in terms of the availability and quality of the resource: A case study from Iraq," Environmental Earth Sciences, vol. 80, no. 12, p. 426, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-09725-0.
A. Z. A. Al-Ozeer and A. M. Al-Abadi, "Groundwater Quality Index Assessment using the Entropy Method on the Nineveh Plain in Northern Iraq," Iraqi Geological Journal, pp. 128-138, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.46717/igj.55.1A.10Ms-2022-01-29.
H. A. K. Al-Jaf, "Water Quality Index Application to Evaluate the Ground Water Quality in Kalar City-Kurdistan Region-Iraq," 2022. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1120/1/012002
W. H. Kadhim, "The use of water quality index technique to assess ground water for irrigation in Ashtan area, Muthanna Governorate, Southern Iraq," Advances in Natural and Applied Sciences, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 1-5, 2018.
C. Tokatlı, A. Uğurluoğlu, and S. Muhammad, "Spatiotemporal variation of organic contaminants and their ecotoxicological risk in the Uluabat Lake basin, Türkiye: A Ramsar living wetland," Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C, vol. 138, p. 103851, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2025.103851.
S. Muhammad et al., "Spatial distribution of hazard index via heavy metals consumption in water from the Himalayan lacustrine ecosystems," Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C, vol. 138, p. 103858, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2025.103858.
A. Agrawal and D. Dohare, "Assessment of groundwater suitability for drinking and irrigation purpose using statistical and geospatial techniques: A review," The Holistic Approach to Environment, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 27-39, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.33765/thate.14.1.4.
O. N. Al-Sheikh and A. M. Al-Shamma'a, "Hydrochemical of groundwater for Al Dammam unconfined aquifer within Al-Salman Basin, Al-Muthana Governorate, South West Iraq," Iraqi Journal of Science, vol. 60, no. 6, pp. 1336-1349, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.24996/ijs.2019.60.6.17.
Iraqi Meteorological Organization, "Meteorological data/report for Iraq," Iraqi Meteorological Organization, 2017.
H. A. Alikhan, A. K. Hussein, and A. S. Alshukri, "Groundwater quality assessment using water quality index: A case study of Al Najaf City, Iraq," Periodicals of Engineering and Natural Sciences, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 1482-1490, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.21533/pen.v8.i3.1188.
R. Al-Khafaji, S. Muhi, and A. Jassam, "Hydrochemical evaluation of groundwater from selected wells in Al Muthana Governorate, Southern Iraq," Iraqi Journal of Science, vol. 62, no. 6, pp. 1930-1942, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.24996/ijs.2021.62.6.18.
M. A. Al-Dabbas, Y. K. Al-Ameri, and W. H. Kadhim, "Groundwater Quality Investigation of the Dammam Unconfined Aquifer, Umaid Area, Muthanna Governorate, Iraq," Advances in Natural and Applied Sciences, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 24-35, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.22587/anas.2018.12.5.5.
T. S. Khayyun, A. H. Mseer, and M. M. Ismaeel, "Ground Water Quality Evaluation using WQI and GIS Technique in the Al-Samawa City-Iraq," Asian Journal of Engineering and Technology, vol. 5, no. 4, 2017.
F. R. S. Al-Jabri, "The effect of some elements of climate on archaeological sites in Al-Muthanna Governorate: The effects of Warka as a model," World Bulletin of Social Sciences, vol. 11, pp. 29-43, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://scholarexpress.net/index.php/wbss/article/view/1068.
N. C. Brady and R. R. Weil, The Nature and Properties of Soils. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.
FAO, IIASA, ISRIC, ISS-CAS, and JRC. Harmonized World Soil Database (version 1.2), FAO and IIASA. [Online]. Available: https://iiasa.ac.at/models-tools-data/hwsd
C. A. J. Appelo and D. Postma, Geochemistry, Groundwater and Pollution. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: CRC Press/Balkema, 2005, doi: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781439833544.
N. S. Kawo and S. Karuppannan, "Groundwater quality assessment using water quality index and GIS technique in Modjo River Basin, central Ethiopia," Journal of African Earth Sciences, vol. 147, pp. 300-311, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2018.06.034.
N. Adimalla, P. Li, and S. Venkatayogi, "Hydrogeochemical evaluation of groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes and integrated interpretation with water quality index studies," Environmental Processes, vol. 5, pp. 363-383, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-018-0297-4.
R. M. Kalin and A. Long, "Application of hydrogeochemical modelling for validation of hydrologic flow modelling in the Tucson Basin Aquifer, Arizona, USA," in "Mathematical Models and Their Applications to Isotope Studies in Groundwater Hydrology," International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria, 1994.
N. Adimalla and A. K. Taloor, "Hydrogeochemical investigation of groundwater quality in the hard rock terrain of South India using Geographic Information System (GIS) and groundwater quality index (GWQI) techniques," Groundwater for Sustainable Development, vol. 10, p. 100288, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2019.100288.
S. P. Vaiphei, R. M. Kurakalva, and D. K. Sahadevan, "Water quality index and GIS-based technique for assessment of groundwater quality in Wanaparthy watershed, Telangana, India," Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 27, pp. 45041-45062, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10345-7.
W. H. Organization, Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality: Incorporating the First and Second Addenda. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240045064
A. Shuaibu, R. M. Kalin, V. Phoenix, L. C. Banda, and I. M. Lawal, "Hydrogeochemistry and water quality index for groundwater sustainability in the Komadugu-Yobe Basin, Sahel Region," Water, vol. 16, no. 4, p. 601, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/w16040601.
C. R. Ramakrishnaiah, C. Sadashivaiah, and G. Ranganna, "Assessment of water quality index for the groundwater in Tumkur Taluk, Karnataka State, India," Journal of Chemistry, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 523-530, 2009, doi: https://doi.org/10.1155/2009/757424.
I. Mukherjee, U. K. Singh, and S. Chakma, "Evaluation of groundwater quality for irrigation water supply using multi-criteria decision-making techniques and GIS in an agroeconomic tract of Lower Ganga basin, India," Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 309, p. 114691, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114691.
M. Batarseh et al., "Assessment of groundwater quality for irrigation in the arid regions using irrigation water quality index (IWQI) and GIS-Zoning maps: Case study from Abu Dhabi Emirate, UAE," Groundwater for Sustainable Development, vol. 14, p. 100611, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2021.100611.
M. Alsubih et al., "Assessing surface water quality for irrigation purposes in some dams of Asir Region, Saudi Arabia using multi-statistical modeling approaches," Water, vol. 14, no. 9, p. 1439, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/w14091439.
M. S. Samtio et al., "Impact of rock-water interaction on hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater: Using multivariate statistical, water quality index and irrigation indices of Chachro sub-district, Thar Desert, Sindh, Pakistan," Groundwater for Sustainable Development, vol. 20, p. 100878, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2022.100878.
H. M. Raghunath, Ground Water: Hydrogeology, Ground Water Survey and Pumping Tests, Rural Water Supply and Irrigation Systems. New Delhi, India: New Age International, 1987.
O. O. Elemile, E. M. Ibitogbe, B. T. Okikiola, and P. O. Ejigboye, "Groundwater quality using indices for domestic and irrigation purposes in Akure, Nigeria," Results in Engineering, vol. 13, p. 100347, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2022.100347.
S. M. Awadh, F. M. Abdulhussein, and J. A. Al-Kilabi, "Hydrogeochemical processes and water-rock interaction of groundwater in Al-Dammam aquifer at Bahr Al-Najaf, Central Iraq," Iraqi Bulletin of Geology and Mining, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 1-15, 2016.
S. Wen et al., "Spatial distribution and mechanisms of groundwater hardness in the plain area of Tangshan City, China," Water, vol. 16, no. 24, p. 3627, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/w16243627.
T. Listyani and I. A. Prabowo, "Groundwater in Bener area, its quality and contribution for agriculture," 2022. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/985/1/012028
J. G. Wang, W. Zhou, and S. B. Gao, "Influence on increasing of shallow groundwater hardness with water-soil interaction," China Mining Magazine, vol. 21, pp. 107-110, 2012.
X. B. Wang, M. X. Gu, and X. Y. Wang, "Mechanism of Increasing Ground Water Hardness in Urban District of Shijiazhuang," Journal of Anhui Agricultural Sciences, vol. 35, pp. 13709-13711, 2013.
D. Dimri, A. Daverey, A. Kumar, and A. Sharma, "Monitoring water quality of River Ganga using multivariate techniques and WQI (Water Quality Index) in Western Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, India," Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management, vol. 15, p. 100375, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enmm.2020.100375.
D. Ratri, D. P. E. Putra, and W. Wilopo, "Groundwater geochemistry and hydrogeochemical processes assessment in Bantul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia," 2021. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/958/1/012013
A. M. Piper, "A graphic procedure in the geochemical interpretation of water-analyses," Transactions, American Geophysical Union, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 914-928, 1944, doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/TR025i006p00914.
A. A. O. Al-Azawi and A. M. Al-Shamma'a, "Evaluating the suitability of groundwater for irrigation uses at Al-Salhubia Area, Al-Muthana Governorate, Southern Iraq," Iraqi Journal of Science, vol. 57, no. 4C, pp. 2898-2908, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://ijs.uobaghdad.edu.iq/index.php/eijs/article/view/6277.
S. Sudhakaran, H. Mahadevan, V. Arun, A. P. Krishnakumar, and K. A. Krishnan, "A multivariate statistical approach in assessing the quality of potable and irrigation water environs of the Netravati River basin (India)," Groundwater for Sustainable Development, vol. 11, p. 100462, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2020.100462.
L. A. Richards, Diagnosis and Improvement of Saline and Alkali Soils. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1954. [Online]. Available: https://books.google.iq/books?id=KP8_AAAAIAAJ
A. Kadri et al., "Assessment of groundwater suitability for agricultural purposes: A case study of South Oued Righ region, Algeria," Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 14, p. 8858, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148858.
R. Pivić et al., "Hydrochemical assessment of water used for agricultural soil irrigation in the water area of the three Morava Rivers in the Republic of Serbia," Agronomy, vol. 12, no. 5, p. 1177, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12051177.
M. El-Rawy, E. Ismail, and O. Abdalla, "Assessment of groundwater quality using GIS, hydrogeochemistry, and factor statistical analysis in Qena Governorate, Egypt," Desalination and Water Treatment, vol. 162, pp. 14-29, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.5004/dwt.2019.24423.
Y. A. El-Amier, W. K. Kotb, G. Bonanomi, H. Fakhry, N. A. Marraiki, and A. M. Abd-ElGawad, "Hydrochemical assessment of the irrigation water quality of the El-Salam canal, Egypt," Water, vol. 13, no. 17, p. 2428, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/w13172428.
A. K. Haritash, S. Gaur, and S. Garg, "Assessment of water quality and suitability analysis of River Ganga in Rishikesh, India," Applied Water Science, vol. 6, pp. 383-392, 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-014-0235-1.
L. D. Doneen, Notes on Water Quality in Agriculture. Davis, CA: Department of Water Science and Engineering, University of California, 1964.
S. Naseem, S. Hamza, and E. Bashir, "Groundwater geochemistry of Winder agricultural farms, Balochistan, Pakistan and assessment for irrigation water quality," European Water, vol. 31, pp. 21-32, 2010.