Loading…

Groundwater beneath the urban area of Khan Younis City, southern Gaza Strip (Palestine): hydrochemistry and water quality

This paper presents the results of a groundwater hydrochemical assessment in the urban area of Khan Younis City in the southern Gaza Strip by measuring its physicochemical parameters: major cations and anions, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), and total hardness. The as...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Arabian journal of geosciences 2015-04, Vol.8 (4), p.2203-2215
Main Authors: Jabal, Mohd S. Abu, Abustan, Ismail, Rozaimy, Mohd Remy, El Najar, Hussam
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This paper presents the results of a groundwater hydrochemical assessment in the urban area of Khan Younis City in the southern Gaza Strip by measuring its physicochemical parameters: major cations and anions, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), and total hardness. The assessment shows that the groundwater is neutral to slightly alkaline in nature with an ionic abundance of cations Na +  > Mg 2+  > Ca 2+  > K + and anions Cl −  > HCO 3 2−  > SO 4 2−  > NO 3 2−  > F. EC, TDS, Na + , and Cl − are from the same sources: brine upcoming from the deeper parts of the aquifer, brackish water flow from the adjacent Eocene eastern aquifer, aquifer overpumping, and wastewater infiltration into the aquifer. SO 4 2− and NO 3 2− are from wastewater infiltration and intensive agricultural practices in nearby areas, F − is from fluorite clay mineral, and the low K + is from its tendency to be fixed by clay minerals. Hardness is mainly from Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ of carbonate mineral. The Piper diagram shows that the prevalent water type is Na + –Cl – –SO 4 2– , with alkaline earth metals exceeding the alkali metals. The Gibbs diagram indicates that the dominant processes controlling groundwater chemistry are evaporation, ion exchange, and anthropogenic activity (wastewater infiltration). Geochemical modeling using PHREEQC shows that the samples are supersaturated with carbonate-bearing minerals. Fluorite is undersaturated at lower F − concentrations and saturated at higher F − concentrations. Based on the standards of the World Health Organization, the groundwater samples in the study area are chemically unsuitable for drinking purposes.
ISSN:1866-7511
1866-7538
DOI:10.1007/s12517-014-1346-6