Groundwater Quality Evaluation for the Limestone Aquifer Utilizing Hydrochemical Characteristics and Imitative Techniques, Eastern Nile Valley, Egypt

Document Type : Original scientific articles

Authors

Evaluation of Natural Resources Department, Environmental Studies and Research Institute, University of Sadat City, Egypt

Abstract

The construction of new towns and land reclamation initiatives are now being given a lot of attention by the Egyptian government in an effort to solve the country's overpopulation issue. Groundwater quality in the Limestone aquifer was evaluated using integrated physico-chemical criteria under sustainable development guidelines. Forty groundwater samples were taken from the research area's fractured limestone aquifer during the summer of 2021. The results showed that according to their physico-chemical characteristics, the primary ion contents were derived in the order of Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ and SO42- > HCO3- > CO32-. Chemical analysis findings showed that the bulk of the groundwater points from the Eocene had calcium levels that varied from 3.9 ppm to 19.5 ppm. The methods by which highly soluble carbonate minerals like calcite, dolomite, and sulphate are leached may be responsible for the high concentration of calcium ions in the groundwater of the studied region. The quantity of magnesium ions in groundwater wells ranged from 6 ppm to 24.32 ppm. Sodium is the predominant cation, with concentrations between 440 and 1020 ppm. Chloride concentrations varied between 335 to 674 ppm. Sulphate concentrations varied between 323 to 1478 ppm. The bulk of groundwater samples from the Eocene had bicarbonate concentrations from 62 to 124 ppm. Landowners in newly reclaimed lands should be urged to employ contemporary irrigation techniques including sprinkler and drip irrigation technologies for the integrated management and efficient use of water resources.
Keywords: Groundwater quality, Limestone aquifer, Physico-chemical parameters.

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