Abstract
Regular assessment of groundwater potential is vital especially in arid regions that depend mainly on groundwater. Sinai Peninsula is one of the strategic arid regions in Egypt where any future development plans would mainly depend on groundwater. In this research, the sustainability of the Upper Cretaceous Aquifer in Sinai is evaluated considering the effect of three types of abstractions. First, 54 currently working abstraction wells with total extraction of about 300 m3/day. Second, 24 newly drilled wells that serve 2000 feddan in a new developmental settlement to the west of the study area with expected total extraction of 23,000 m3/day. The third component is the current abstraction of about 20 Mm3/year from the El-Naqb area.. The objective of this study was achieved by analyzing the available geological, lithological, and hydrogeological data and then using these analyzed data to simulate the aquifer using MODFLOW code in the GMS software. The constructed model was calibrated in a transient mode with the aid of parameter estimation program (PEST). A forward run then took place to predict water levels after 30 years considering a new developmental settlement constructed in El-Nehayat (Ras Sudr). Results show that the estimated spatial maximum and average drawdown rates at El-Nehayat are 2.57 and 0.4 m/year which are small values due to the limited present development on the UCA. Based on the obtained results, further exploration for the UCA is recommended.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agah, A. (1981) Structural map and plate reconstruction of the Gulf of Suez- Sinai area. Internal Report, Conoco Oil Co., Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
Bartov, Y. (1974) A structural and paleogeographical study of the central Sinai faults and domes, Ph. D. Thesis, Hebrew University, Jerusalem (in Hebrew).
Bartov Y, Lewy Z, Steinitz G, Zak I (1980) Mesozoic and Tertiary stratigraphy, paleogeography and structural history of Gebel Arif El-Naga area, Eastern Sinai. Israel Journal of Earth Sciences 29(1–2):114–139
Bear J (1979) Hydraulics of groundwater. McGrew Hill, New York
Botros, F. E. F. (2003) Groundwater modeling for deep lower cretaceous aquifer system in Sinai, M.Sc. Thesis, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Egypt.
Dames and Moore. (1985) Sinai Development Study, Final Report, Report Submitted to the Advisory Committee for Reconstruction Ministry of Development.
El Rahman HA (2001) Evaluation of groundwater resources in Lower Cretaceous aquifer system in Sinai. Water Resources Management 15(3):187–202
El-Bihery, M. A. (1998) Water resources and sustainable development in Sinai Peninsula-Egypt, Ph.D. thesis, Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Egypt.
Eyal, M., Martor, Y., Shimron, A.E., Bentor, Y.K. (1980) Sinai geological map, scale 1:500000, Survey of Israel.
Eyal, M., Martov, Y., Shimron, A. E., & Bentor, Y. K. (1987) Explanatory notes to geological photo map scale 1:500,000. In: Gvirtzman, G., Shmueli, A., Gross, Y., Ben Arieh, Y., Harel, M. (Eds.), Sinai Part 1 – Physical Geography. Ministry of Defense and Ha’Aretz Publ. House, pp. 21–42.
Fleischer, L. (1979) Geological investigations for oil prospection in the Mediterranean Sea. Rep.79/31 Oil Exploration (Investments)Ltd., pp. 78.
Ghoubachi SY (2013) Contribution to the hydrogeology of the Lower Cretaceous aquifer in east Central Sinai, Egypt. Journal of King Saud University - Science 25(2):91–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksus.2010.05.009
Issar A, Bein A, Michaeli A (1972) On the ancient water of the upper Nubian sandstone aquifer in Central Sinai and southern Israel. Journal of Hydrology 17(4):353–374. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(72)90092-3
Jenkins DA (1990) North and Central Sinai. In: Said R (ed) The geology of Egypt. Balkema, Rotterdam/Brookfield, pp 361–380
JICA (1992) North Sinai groundwater resources study in the Arab Republic of Egypt, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Final Report.
JICA (1999) South Sinai groundwater resources study in the Arab Republic of Egypt, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Final Report.
Mohamed, A. H. (1997) Geological and geomorphological impacts on the water resources in central Sinai, Ph.D. thesis, Geol. Dept., Faculty of Science, Ain-Shams University.
Mohamed, L. (2015) Structural controls on the distribution of groundwater in southern Sinai, Egypt: constraints from geophysical and remote sensing observations. Dissertations Paper 593. Retrieved from doi: http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/593.
Moustafa AR (2010) Structural setting and tectonic evolution of North Sinai folds, Egypt. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 341(1):37–63
Nour, S. (1998) Hydrogeology of deep aquifers in the Western Desert and Sinai, Report No.10, Water Policy Reform Activity, U S Agency for international Development, Ministry of Public Works and Water Resources, Egypt.
Omran, E. S. E. (2017) Land and groundwater assessment for agricultural development in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. In Conventional water resources and agriculture in Egypt (pp. 165-209). Springer, Cham.
Rosenthal E, Zilberbrand M, Livshitz Y (2007) The hydrochemical evolution of brackish groundwater in central and northern Sinai (Egypt) and in the western Negev (Israel). Journal of Hydrology 337(3–4):294–314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.01.042
Said R (1962) The geology of Egypt. Elseveir Publishing Co., New York 377pp
Shalaby Y, Embaby A, Siam A (2012) Structural constraints on the groundwater regime of the Cretaceous aquifers in Central Sinai, Egypt. Journal of African Earth Sciences 75(2012):37–56
Shata A (1955) Geomorphological aspects of the western Sinai foreshore. Bull. de l’Institute due Desert 5
Shata A (1965) Structural development of Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Bull. Inst. Desert Egypt 6(2):117–157
The Israeli Yearbook. (2017) Evolution of exploitation and the hydrological and chemical state (situation) of water resources in Israel (1915/6) (p. 503). Jerusalem: Israel Water Authority – Hydrological Service, (in Hebrew).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Additional information
Responsible editor: Broder J. Merkel
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ibrahim, H.A., Abd-Elmegeed, M.A., Ghanem, A.M. et al. Assessment of groundwater development potential in Upper Cretaceous aquifer in Sinai, Egypt. Arab J Geosci 14, 2058 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-08409-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-08409-0