Assessment of groundwater quality using statistical methods in the Isly basin (Horst Belt, Morocco)

Abstract

The identification of potential sources of groundwater pollution in the Isly basin (North-East Morocco) and the understanding of their spatial variability, in response to certain natural and anthropogenic forcings, were approached through the combined study of ionic ratios and statistical analyses of hydro-chemical data. The results of the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) show that two factors explain nearly 78% of the variance. Factor 1 is mineral salts (Cl and Na), and factor 2 is related to alkaline earth metals (Ca and Mg). The typological structure of the F1 x F2 plan analysis shows four regions according to the nature of pollutants. The contaminations observed for most of the water points could be related to anthropogenic, geological and atmospheric pollution sources.