Water Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80200, Jeddah, 21598, Saudi Arabia.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Feb;28(8):9628-9646. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-11383-x. Epub 2020 Nov 5.
Groundwater quality and associated health risk in the arid environment, Rabigh basin, Western Saudi Arabia, was assessed using an integrated approach namely groundwater suitability zone (GWSZ) maps, drinking water quality index (DWQI), irrigation water quality (IWQ) parameters, irrigation water quality index (IWQI), chronic daily index (CDI), and hazard quotient (HQ). Groundwater samples were collected (n = 50) and analysed. Groundwater is alkaline (80%), fresh to brackish, and hard to very hard, and 78% of samples exceeded the international drinking water safe limit. The DWQI indicates that groundwater samples are excellent (24%), good (24%), poor (20%), very poor (10%), and unsuitable (22%) classes for drinking use. Total HQ (HQ F + HQ NO) indicated that 68%, 80%, and 72% of samples express non-carcinogenic health threat to adult, children, and infant, respectively, in the study region. IWQ parameters, namely, EC, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), Kelly's ratio (KR), sodium percentage (Na%), permeability index (PI), and magnesium hazard (MH), suggest that 72%, 66%, 64%, 98%, and 92% of samples have SAR < 6, KR < 1, MH < 50, PI > 25%, and Na% < 60%, respectively, which are suitable for irrigation. USSL classification implies that groundwater is suitable only for salt-tolerant crops and high permeability soil. IWQI values suggest that groundwater in 12%, 82%, and 6% of wells are low, medium, and highly suitable, respectively, for irrigation. Furthermore, only 42% of samples are recommended for livestock uses due to high F (> 2). GWSZ maps, DWQI, and IWQI imply that groundwater in the upstream region is suitable whereas groundwater in the downstream is not recommended for any uses. Hence, this study recommended proper groundwater augmentation methods to reduce the salinity and improve the water quality in the shallow aquifer in the arid environment. The GWSZ, DWQI, and IWQI maps will aid to identify the suitable zones for groundwater development and sustainable management.
采用地下水适宜性分区图 (GWSZ)、饮用水质量指数 (DWQI)、灌溉水质量 (IWQ) 参数、灌溉水质量指数 (IWQI)、慢性日摄入量 (CDI) 和危害系数 (HQ) 等综合方法，评估了沙特阿拉伯西部拉比格盆地干旱环境中的地下水质量及其相关健康风险。采集了 50 个地下水样本并进行了分析。地下水呈碱性 (80%)，淡水至微咸水，硬度高至极高，78%的样本超过国际饮用水安全限值。DWQI 表明，地下水样本的饮用适宜性为极好 (24%)、良好 (24%)、差 (20%)、极差 (10%) 和不适宜 (22%)。总 HQ (HQ F + HQ NO) 表明，研究区域内 68%、80%和 72%的样本对成人、儿童和婴儿分别存在非致癌健康威胁。IWQ 参数，即电导率 (EC)、钠吸附比 (SAR)、凯利比 (KR)、钠百分比 (Na%)、渗透率指数 (PI) 和镁危害 (MH)，表明 72%、66%、64%、98%和 92%的样本 SAR<6、KR<1、MH<50、PI>25%和 Na%<60%，分别适合灌溉。USSL 分类表明，地下水仅适用于耐盐作物和高渗透率土壤。IWQI 值表明，12%、82%和 6%的水井中的地下水分别为低、中、高适宜性，分别适合灌溉。此外，由于 F (>2) 较高，只有 42%的样本推荐用于牲畜用水。GWSZ 图、DWQI 和 IWQI 表明，上游地区的地下水是适宜的，而下游地区的地下水不建议用于任何用途。因此，本研究建议采用适当的地下水补给方法，以降低浅层含水层的盐分并改善水质。GWSZ、DWQI 和 IWQI 图将有助于确定地下水开发和可持续管理的适宜区。
