Identify of groundwater quality in erbil province for agricultural and drinking uses depending on salinity and some heavy metals concentration

Abstract EN

This investigation was conducted during June, 2019 to November, 2019.

The study included determination of some chemical properties of groundwater for water of 104 wells in Erbil province.

The selected chemical properties included EC, pH, and concentration of some heavy metals such as Zn, Pb, Cd, Mn, Fe and Ni.

The studied waters were classified for different agricultural uses.

The results indicated that the water of the studied wells was suitable for irrigation depending on pH, concentration of heavy metals only, while depending on EC value the water of 11 wells were not suitable for irrigation purpose since the EC value of them was more than 3dS m-1.

The water of all wells was suitable for livestock depending on the mentioned parameters.

The water of all locations was suitable for fish culture depending on dissolved oxygen (DO) value mg L-1 since the DO value of them were more than 5 mg L-1.

most of the studied water suitable for fish culture depending on concentration of most of the studied heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Mn) because their concentration were less than maximum allowable value mentioned by AZZNC (2000) except concentration of Zn in the water of 21 wells which were above maximum allowable value of less than 0.005 mg L-1.

It means depending on Zn concentration 20% of the studied waters having Zn concentration above allowable value.

The water of 87 location were suitable for drinking purpose depending on IQS (2009) and WHO (2011) since the TDS value of them were less than 1000 mg L-1 while the water of 17 location were not suitable for irrigation since the TDS value of them were more than 1000 mg L-1 it means the water of 83.65% of the studied locations were suitable for drinking purpose while the water of 16.35% of the studied locations were not suitable for drinking.