Assessment of groundwater salinization and soil degradation in Abdally farms, Kuwait

Abstract EN

Kuwait is a part of the arid and semi-arid region, where irrigation is necessary for any realistic agricultural activities.

There are no surface fresh water resources in Kuwait.

Fresh water is provided from desalination of seawater.

However, this water is used mainly for potable purposes.

A total of 100,000 cubic meters of brackish groundwater is annually produced from the Kuwait Group and Dammam Formation aquifers.

This water is mainly used for mixing at 5–10% with distilled water and for irrigation of specific crops.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of brackish groundwater irrigation on groundwater and soil.

A total of 161 water and soil samples from 25 selected farms were collected and analyzed for chemical and physical parameters.

It was concluded that soil salinity was directly proportional to that of groundwater and a high increase in soil salinity was recognized since the establishment of the farms in Abdally.

That was mainly related to the mismanagement of groundwater resources, which causes soil degradation in addition to the losses and inefficiency in water usage.

It is recommended to use tertiary treated wastewater for irrigation activities in order to have a wider range of crops to be grown and to prevent the deterioration in both soil and groundwater resources.