Groundwater Suitability for Irrigation Using Water Quality Indices Approach: Towards Water Resource Management

Abstract In order to carry out this study between Abu Sweir and Abu Hammad, Ismalia, Egypt, fifty-two groundwater samples were collected. The data were collected to investigate the hydrochemistry and groundwater quality for agriculture purposes. Physio-chemical and water quality indices (WQI) have been used to determine groundwater suitability for irrigation. Among WQI’s used in the present work are; the sodium percent (%Na+), the salinity hazard, sodium hazard, the permeability index (PI), the residual sodium carbonate, (RSC), magnesium ratio (MR), and Kelly ratio (KR). However, the relationships between (Na + vs. Cl−) and (Na + vs. Ca2+ + Mg2+) suggest an ion exchange or silicate mineral weathering. Moreover, calculating derived chloro-alkaline indices reveal that more than ninety-six percent of the collected groundwater samples in the study sites exhibition exchange. Hydrogeochemical facies were evaluated through the Piper plot diagram, which showed that the groundwater collected samples are of sodium-potassium-chloride water type. Furthermore, the water quality index, (WQI), here was calculated and computed based on the integration of quality indices the in GIS platform. The applied approach explores a novel method for the implementation of weights, efficiency factors, and WQI in groundwater evaluation. The final outcomes considering the calculated and derived water quality parameters, it becomes apparent that most of the groundwater samples of the area are unsuitable for irrigation purposes. The resulted groundwater model in the study sites indicates that the groundwater is influenced by rock-water interaction and/ or seawater intrusion. Overall, the applied model of water quality gives an understanding of water quality assessment and evaluation for future development.