Groundwater resources exploitation management in response to water scarcity challenges in Khuzestan Province, Iran
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Abstract:
Water scarcity in Khuzestan Province, Iran, has attracted growing concerns despite the region's abundant water resources. The province predominantly relies on surface water, prompting an assessment of groundwater's potential to supplement water supplies during surface water shortages. This study assesses the province's groundwater availability and quality under increased exploitation conditions. Between 2008 and 2018, data on groundwater quantity and quality were collected from 204 exploration wells and 70 piezometric wells across 19 aquifers. The analysis revealed that 53% of aquifers in the eastern and northeastern regions experienced declining groundwater levels. Hydrochemical assessments indicated low concentrations of major ions in the northeastern, while high levels were observed from the central region towards the southeast. These variations were attributed to agricultural and industrial activities, seawater intrusion, and the influences of evaporation and geological factors. The dominant hydrochemical facies identified were of the Ca-Cl type. Water quality classification showed that 48% of groundwater samples fell within the C4S4-C4S1 category, primarily in the western, central, and southern regions, while 27% were classified as C3S2, C3S1, and 25% as C2S1, mainly in the northern and eastern regions. The Irrigation WWater Quality (IWQ) index indicated that many samples were suitable for irrigation. Additionally, the analysis potable groundwater was primarily found in the northern, northeastern, and eastern aquifers, with quality declining toward the south. The study highlights that certain aquifers in the northern and eastern regions offer greater potential for sustainable groundwater exploitation during water shortages. These findings provide valuable insights for on how to implement effective land and water management strategies to mitigate future water crises.
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Table 1. Equation used to estimate groundwater quality indices.
Index Reference GQIpiper(mix) = $ \left[\dfrac{({Ca}^{2+}+{Mg}^{2+})}{Totalcations}+\dfrac{({HCO}_{3}^-)}{Totalanions}\right]\times 50 $ (meq/l) (1)(Subramani et al. 2005) GQIpiper(dom)= $ \left[\dfrac{({Na}^{+}+{K}^{+})}{Totalcations}+\dfrac{({HCO}_{3}^-)}{Totalanions}\right]\times 50 $ (meq/l) (2)SAR= $ \dfrac{{Na}^{+}}{\sqrt{{Ca}^{2+}+{Mg}^{2+}}} $ (3)(Richards, 1954) KR= $ {Na}^{+}/({Ca}^{2+}+{Mg}^{2+}) $ (4)(Kelly, 1957) Na%= $ \left\{\dfrac{{Na}^{+}+{K}^{+}}{{Na}^{+}+{K}^{+}+{Ca}^{2+}+{Mg}^{2+}}\right\} $ (5)(Willcox, 1955) MAR= $ ({Mg}^{2+}*100)/({Ca}^{2+}+{Mg}^{2+}) $ (6)(Paliwal,1972) PI= $ \dfrac{{Na}^{+}+\sqrt{{HCO}_{3}^-}}{{Ca}^{2+}+{Mg}^{2+}+{Na}^{+}}*100 $ (7)(Doneen, 1964) 
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Table 2. Ionic types and hydrochemical facies of groundwater samples collected during summer (n = 204) based on plots of hydrochemical data on Piper diagram
Groundwater chemical facies Aquifer (No. and name) Ca-Cl 12 Aquifers: Ahodasht, Ahwaz shomali, Avan, Behbahan, Jaiezan, Chenane khesraj, Daloon midavood, Ramhormoz, Seidon, Gotvand aghili, Mianab shishtar, Dahsheikh
Ca-Mg-HCO3 5 Aquifers:
Baghmalek, Dezful andimeshk, Lali, Iezih pion, MorghabNa-Cl 2 Aquifers:
Zeidon, Masjed soleiman
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Table 3. GQI piper (mix) and GQI (Dom) to determine hydrogeochemical domains
Domain GQIpiper(mix) GQIpiper(dom) Percentage of samples /% Aquifers I (Ca-HCO3) 50–100 25–75 25% Baghmalek, Dezful andimeshk, Morghab, Iezh pion, Lali II (Na-Cl) 0–50 25–75 14% Zeidon, Masjed soleyman III (Ca-Na-HCO3) 25–75 50–75 - - IV (Ca-Mg-Cl) 25–75 25–50 28% Dezful andimeshk, Zeidon, Gotvand aghili, Baghmalek V (Ca-Cl) 25–75 0–25 33% Ahodasht, Ahvaz shomali, Avan, Behbahan, Jaiezan, Chenane khesraj, Daloon midavood, Ramhormoz, Seidon, Mianab shushtar
VI (Na-HCO3) 25–75 75–100 - -
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Table 4. Classification of ground water samples based on irrigation water quality (IWQ) parameters.
IWQ Parameters Range Class Number of samples Percentage /% EC <250 Excellent 0 0 250–750 Good 49 24 750–2000 Permissible 50 25 2000–3000 Doubtful 35 17 >3000 Unsuitable 70 34 SAR <10 Excellent 204 100 10–18 Good 0 0 18–26 Permissible 0 0 >26 Doubtful 0 0 Na% <20 Excellent 78 38 20–40 Good 82 42 40–60 Permissible 33 15 60–80 Doubtful 9 5 >80 Unsuitable 2 0 MAR >50% Suitable 70 34 <50% Unsuitable 134 66 KR <1 Suitable 182 89 >1 Unsuitable 22 11 PI >75% Good 135 66 25–75 Suitable 55 27 <25% Unsuitable 14 7 Na+ <3 None 204 100 3–9 Moderate 0 0 >9 Severe 0 0 Cl− (mg/L) <140 None 204 100 140–350 Moderate 0 0 >350 Severe 0 0
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