Suitability of Groundwater in Basrah Province for Industrial, Construction and Agricultural Purposes

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the quality of groundwatersamples in the south of Basrah Province for industrial, constructionand agricultural purposes. Groundwater samples were collectedin summer season of the year 2015 from (29) wells located indifferent districts in Basrah province (Safwan, Zubair, and UmQasir). The groundwater samples were analyzed for pH,electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS) andother major ions. The chemical results indicate that thegroundwater in the study area was unsuitable for industrial usesaccording to standard classification. Some other standardclassification recommended that the unsuitable groundwatercould be used after treatment of some of its element whilegroundwater in the study area may be used for constructionpurposes with a suitable treatment of high ions concentration.After studying the factors that determine the suitability ofgroundwater for irrigation purpose such as pH, electricalconductivity, total dissolved solids, Sodium ratio(Na%) andsodium adsorption ratio (SAR). The groundwater in study areacan be classify based on (EC) values, as unacceptable forirrigation except for very salt-tolerant plants and excellentdrainage. According to other parameters like Na% and SAR,groundwater of the study area is classified as poor to very poorwater and need for suitable treatment before using it