Hydrochemical Assessment of Groundwater from the Harrat Khyber Flood Basalts, Northwest Saudi Arabia.

ACS Omega

Abdullah Alrushaid Chair for Earth Science Remote Sensing Research, Geology and Geophysics Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.

Published: November 2023

AI Article Synopsis

  • The study focused on groundwater chemistry in the Harrat Khyber area of Western Saudi Arabia, examining how factors like ion-exchange and evaporation affect water quality.
  • Groundwater samples revealed that while fluoride levels are safe, nitrate levels exceed WHO limits in 50% of tests, making the water unsafe for consumption—especially for infants and children.
  • Heavy metal analysis showed that although the average Heavy Metal Contamination Index is low (19.505), indicating minimal pollution, most heavy metals present have a natural geogenic origin.

Article Abstract

The present study was carried out in the Harrat Khyber region of the Madinah province in Western Saudi Arabia. The objective of the study was to determine the main factors affecting groundwater chemistry and assess the impact of groundwater quality on human health with respect to nitrate, fluoride, and heavy metals (arsenic, chromium, copper, nickel, selenium, and zinc). Hydrochemical data for 70 groundwater samples from dug wells and bore wells from Harrat Khyber were interpreted to achieve the research objective. The groundwater chemistry is influenced by ion-exchange and the evaporation process. A wide variation in the concentration of various major ions is observed primarily due to the varied nature of the aquifer system which includes the unconsolidated wadi deposits, weathered-fractured basaltic aquifer system, and subbasaltic sedimentary aquifer system. The total hazard quotient (THQ) with respect to NO and F was determined. Although the F values are well within the limits of human consumption in water prescribed by WHO, the values of NO exceed the allowable limits in 50% of the groundwater samples. The average THQ values are 2.16, 2.92, and 2.34 for adults, children, and infants, respectively, which makes the water unsafe for human consumption. Six heavy metals (arsenic, chromium, copper, nickel, selenium, and zinc) were used to calculate the heavy-metal contamination index (HCI). The average HCI value is 19.505. Overall HCI calculation shows that the groundwater is unpolluted with respect to heavy metals. The heavy metals in water are mainly of geogenic origin.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10652739PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c04008DOI Listing

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