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Assessment of groundwater quality and its suitability for domestic and agricultural uses in Low-Isser plain, Boumedres, Algeria

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Abstract

The assessment of the suitability of groundwater for drinking and irrigation uses was carried out in the alluvial plain of Low-Isser in the north of Algeria. The plain covers an area of 533 km2 and lies in a Mediterranean sub-humid climate. Groundwater is the main source for domestic uses and agricultural activities in this area. Groundwater samples were collected from 15 wells during dry and wet seasons in 2015, and they were analyzed for major cations and anions and compared with drinking and irrigation specification standards. The comparison of chemical concentration with WHO drinking water standards of 2006 shows that more than 30% of groundwater samples are unsuitable for drinking, and the majority of groundwater samples fell on the hard and very hard categories. Suitability of groundwater for drinking was also evaluated based on the water quality index (WQI). It shows more than 80% of samples have good or permissible water quality for dry and wet seasons. In terms of the irrigation usage, generally, groundwater in the study area is suitable for different uses in both seasons according to SAR, %Na, RSBC, and PI. However, water rock exchange processes and groundwater flow have been responsible for the dominated water type Ca–Mg–Cl.

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  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Khemis Miliana, Khemis Miliana, Algeria

    Abdelkader Bouderbala

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  1. Abdelkader Bouderbala
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Correspondence to Abdelkader Bouderbala.

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Bouderbala, A. Assessment of groundwater quality and its suitability for domestic and agricultural uses in Low-Isser plain, Boumedres, Algeria. Arab J Geosci 10, 333 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-017-3119-5

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