Groundwater Quality Assessment of Hassi Messaoud Region (Algerian Sahara)

Abstract

In the Hassi Messaoud region, is groundwater the only source of water to meet daily demands, especially for consumption, domestic needs, industry and irrigation. This study focused on the evaluation of groundwater quality for potability and irrigation supply and the understanding of mineralization processes in the Mio-Pliocene (CTM), Senonian (CTS) and continental intercalary (CI) aquifers. For this study, 38 boreholes were sampled and analyzed for different parameters: pH, EC, TDS and major ions. The assessment of the relevance of groundwater in the study area was tested by the application of the water quality index (WQI) method. The suitability of the water for agricultural use was tested using the parameters of; EC, SAR, Na%, KR, PI and MH. The results illustrate that the groundwater in the study area is grouped into three classes: poor, very poor and unsuitable. Regarding groundwater use in irrigation, the results indicate that the waters of Hassi Messaoud are unsuitable for irrigation according on the EC and Wilcox diagram. The groundwater of the investigated area presents two types of water; Ca-Mg-HCO3 and Ca-Mg-HCO3. The study of the mineralization process of water using the Gibbs diagram and binary diagrams and the indices of saturation showed that the mineralization of water is controlled by the dissolution of evaporites and carbonates, silicate weathering and cation exchange. The participation of anthropic contributions is also noted in the Mio-Pliocene aquifer