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Water quality study of the foggaras in the Adrar region (southwest Algeria) using WQI and GIS

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Abstract

Groundwater is the most important drinking water resource for arid areas. Studying the quality of these resources makes it possible to maintain and guarantee the use of these waters rationally and efficiently. The quantity and quality of water available for different uses have not been identified in these areas to date. This work aims to determine the water quality in foggaras to identify their suitability for consumption and irrigation, using the geographic information system (GIS) and the water quality index (WQI). The results show that these waters are characterized by a pH between 5.73 and 8.89, a conductivity that varies between 830 and 1200 µs/cm, and high mineralization between 580 and 50,000 mg/l with an average value of 1818.89 mg/l. In addition, 80% of the points studied present a TDS (total dissolved salts) that exceeds the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. This study also highlights nitrate contamination in some wells, where values of 320 mg/l are well above the 50 mg/l standard. The calculation of the WQI shows that about 72% of the waters are between “excellent quality” and “good quality”; the waters exploited by the foggaras are therefore well suited for human consumption.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the DGRSDT first and the anonymous reviewers for their review. Their gratitude extends to the Arabian Journal of Geosciences editors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of science and technology, Laboratory Energy Environment and Information Systems, Ahmed Draïa University, 01000, Adrar, Algeria

    Bahous Nasri, Slimane Kalloum & Djelloul Benatiallah

  2. National Hydraulic Resources Agency, BP 364, 01000, Adrar, Algeria

    Messaoud Benhamza & Ansari Taha

Authors
  1. Bahous Nasri
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  2. Slimane Kalloum
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  3. Messaoud Benhamza
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  4. Ansari Taha
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  5. Djelloul Benatiallah
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bahous Nasri.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Broder J. Merkel

Highlights

• This topic treats the degradation of foggara water quality in arid zones and remote areas as the Adrar region.

• The foggaras maintained the life of the population in these areas for many centuries.

• This system makes use of water without energy.

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Nasri, B., Kalloum, S., Benhamza, M. et al. Water quality study of the foggaras in the Adrar region (southwest Algeria) using WQI and GIS. Arab J Geosci 15, 1758 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-11050-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-11050-0

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