Evaluation of groundwater suitability for the domestic and irrigation purposes in Konaro Ophiolitic Area, Iranshahr, SE Iran

Abstract

Hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater and its suitability for domestic and irrigation, purposes were evaluated in Konaro ophiolitic area. Heavy metals pollution is accounted for a major pollution in the natural environment are that can pose a serious threat to ecosystems because of their biodegradation potential, toxicity and sustainability (Moslempour and Shahdadi 2013) 8 representative groundwater samples were collected from wells and qanat and analyzed for major cations and anions. The order of dominance of cation and anions were Na> HCO3> SO4 > Mg> Cl> Ca> K, respectively. The rock weathering and dissolution of minerals processes, especially ophiolitic rocks minerals are dominant in controlling the groundwater quality in the study area. Electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solid (TDS) show high positive correlation with total Hardness (TH), K, Na, and SO4-. As per the WHO standards for domestic water purposes, majority of samples show that the groundwater is suitable for drinking. The spatial distribution maps of physicochemical parameters were prepared in ArcGIS. The suitability of groundwater for agriculture purpose was evaluated from EC, TDS, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and Na% which ranges from excellent to not suitable, so majority of the groundwater samples are suitable for irrigation. The results revealed that the GQI quality index varied between 89% and 91% in the Konaro area, which in terms of quality rating, the water samples from these resources laid in appropriate to acceptable range. Moreover, based on examining the zoning map, the GQI quality index accounted for the lowest value in the east direction of the study area. Thus, most of the groundwater samples from this study (sample W2) confirm the beneficial use of aquifers in the area for domestic, agricultural, and irrigation purposes.