Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Modelling the effect of high level of total dissolved solids (TDS) for the sustainable utilization of brackish groundwater from saline aquifers in Kuwait

  • Published:
Environment, Development and Sustainability Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Groundwater resources in Kuwait are almost brackish to saline. There is a concern that the shallow aquifers in Kuwait are polluted with high levels of salinity. The brackish groundwater lenses of the utilized aquifers in Kuwait are strategically important for the agricultural and industrial sectors. These lenses float above saline water bodies. It is the aim of this study to simulate the impact of skimming brackish lenses on the vertical movement of saline water in the utilized aquifer. In order to achieve this aim, pumping tests were conducted on the wells of the study area using Tartakovsky–Neuman method. The results showed that the average transmissivity and specific yield are 330 m2/day and 12%, respectively. The results of the pumping tests were fed into a density-dependent flow with solute transport model to simulate the fate of saline water (with TDS values from 10,000 to 43,000 mg/l) in the utilized aquifer under pumping conditions. The modelling results show that controlling the vertical movement of deeper saline water can be achieved by locating the well screen alongside most of the saturated thickness that includes both brackish and saline water bodies. Only the salinity of the area around well W-2 exceeded the limit of 10,000 mg/l when the total pumping rates from all the wells were 6624 m3/day. This means that the sustainable yield of the aquifer in the utilized zone of the study area is about 5746 m3/day (2.1 Mm3/year) after eliminating the pumping rate of well W-2. The elevated final salinity of the pumped water at this well is influenced by the value of the initial salinity of this well, which was high at 9519 mg/l prior to pumping.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

After Khalaf et al. (1984)

Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Source: KISR database (2010)

Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alfarhan, A. A., & Duane, M. J. (2011). Geochemistry and modification of oilfield brines in surface pits in Northern Kuwait. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 5(5), 1055–1068.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aliewi, A. S. (1993). Numerical simulation of the behaviour of the fresh/saline water transition zone around a scavenger well. Ph.D. thesis. Newcastle University, UK.

  • Aliewi, A. S., & Al-Khaled, A. (2017). Numerical simulation of the effect of cyclic pumping on the dispersion of salt water in shallow aquifers. In Proceedings of the water-society-climate conference, 2–5 October 2017, Hammamat City, Tunisia (Vol. 5, pp. 9–18).

  • Aliewi, A., Al-Qallaf, H., Rashid, T., & Al-Odwani, A. (2019). Hydraulic evaluation of a dewatering scheme in shallow aquifers in Kuwait. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology. https://doi.org/10.1144/qjegh2019-044.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aliewi, A. S., & Burezq, H. (2018). Assessment of potential of brackish water for agricultural use in the utilized aquifers in Kuwait. In Proceedings of the 21st IAHR-APD congress 2018, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 2–6 September 2018.

  • Aliewi, A., El-Sayed, E., Akbar, A., Hadi, K., & Al-Rashed, M. (2017). Evaluation of desalination and other strategic management options using multi-criteria decision analysis in Kuwait. Desalination, 413, 40–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2017.03.006.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Alley, W. M., & Leake, S. A. (2004). The journey from safe yield to sustainability. Ground Water, 42(1), 12–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2004.tb02446.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alley, W. M., Reilly, T. E., & Franke, O. E. (1999). Sustainability of groundwater resources. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1186, Denver, Colorado.

  • Alnaser, W., & Alnaser, N. (2011). The status of renewable energy in the GCC countries. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 15(6), 3074–3098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2011.03.021.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Qallaf, H., Al-Haddad, A., Rashid, T., Bushehri, A., Bhandary, H., & Al-Salman, B. (2011). The effect of using the RO-treated wastewater on the soil and groundwater at Al-Abdally farms (WM030C)—final report. Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, report no. KISR10781, Kuwait.

  • Al-Rashed, M., & Aliewi, A. S. (2018). Water resources sustainability in Kuwait against United Nations sustainable development goals. In E. Azar & M. Raouf (Eds.), Sustainability in the gulf: Challenges and opportunities. Routledge explorations in environmental studies (pp. 37–56). London: Routledge. ISBN: 978-1-138-04068-7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Rashed, M., Al-Senafy, M. N., Viswanathan, M. N., & Al-Sumait, A. (1998). Groundwater utilization in Kuwait: Some problems and solutions. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 14(1), 91–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/07900629849529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Senafy, M. (2001). Geohydrology of fresh groundwater lenses in arid environment, Kuwait. In Proceedings of the groundwater quality conference, Sheffield, England (pp. 167–168).

  • Al-Senafy, M., & Al-Fahad, K. (2000). Petrography of calcretes and their effects on the hydrology of Kuwait Group Aquifer. In Proceedings of the first international conference on geotechnical, geoenvironmental engineering and management in Arid Lands, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates (pp. 481–484).

  • Al-Senafy, M., Aliewi, A. S., Bhandary, H., Al-Khalid, A., Enezi, H., & Mahamid, I. (2017). Designing of a groundwater production scheme for the northern oil fields. In Proceedings of the 20th international water technology conference, Hurghada, Egypt, 18–20 May 2017.

  • Al-Senafy, M., Fadlelmawla, A., Bhandary, H., Al-Khalid, A., Rashid, T., Al-Fahad, K., et al. (2015). Assessment of usable groundwater reserve in northern Kuwait. International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research, 4(6), 2427–2436.

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Sulaimi, J. S. (1994). Petrological characteristics of clasts in the Dibdibbah gravel of Kuwait and their relevance to provenance. The Journal of the University of Kuwait (Science), 21, 117–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Sulaimi, J., & Mukhopadhyay, A. (2000). An overview of the surface and near-surface geology, geomorphology and natural resources of Kuwait. Earth-Science Reviews, 50(3–4), 227–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0012-8252(00)00005-2.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J., Das, P., & Al-Saidi, M. (2018). Sustainable agriculture in the Arabian/Persian Gulf Region utilizing marginal water resources: Making the best of a bad situation. Sustainability, 10(5), 1364. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051364.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buono, R. M., Zodrow, K. R., Alvarez, P. J., & Li, Q. (2016). Brackish groundwater: Current status and potential benefits for water management. Rice University, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Issue Brief 04.11.16.

  • Dannish, S. A., & A1-Ansari, M. A. (1991). MSF vs RO: An economical comparison study. In Proceedings of the IDA world conference on desalination and water reuse, 25–29 August 1991, Washington, DC.

  • El-Naqa, A., & Al-Shayeb, A. (2008). Groundwater protection and management strategy in Jordan. Water Resources Management, 23(12), 2379–2394. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-008-9386-x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GDC. (1983). Project 25/81, reverse osmosis desalination, groundwater model studies, volume I: Main report. Ministry of Works, Power and Water, Bahrain.

  • Hadi, K. (1993). Effect of extraction on groundwater quality at Al-Raudhatain, Kuwait. M.Sc. thesis, Newcastle University, Department of Civil Engineering, Newcastle, UK.

  • Hadi, K., Kumar, U. S., Al-Senafy, M., Mukhopadhyay, A., Al-Khalid, A., Al-Fahad, K., et al. (2016). Multi-well and multi-tracer tests to characterize the groundwater aquifers in southern Kuwait. Environmental Earth Sciences, 75(20), 1340. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-6143-y.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hightower, M., Kottenstette, R., & Webb, L. (2005). Regional trends in the use and reuse of impaired water. Paper presented at the 50th annual New Mexico water conference, Las Cruces, New Mexico, October.

  • Janson, A., Santos, A., Katebah, M., Hussain, A., Minier-Matar, J., Judd, S., et al. (2015). Assessing the biotreatability of produced water from a Qatari gas field. SPE Journal, 20(05), 1113–1119. https://doi.org/10.2118/173188-pa.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kendy, E. (2003). The false promise of sustainable pumping rates. Ground Water, 41(1), 2–4. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2003.tb02559.x.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khalaf, F., Gharib, I., & Al-Hashash, M. (1984). Types and characteristics of the recent surface deposits of Kuwait, Arabian Gulf. Journal of Arid Environments, 7(1), 9–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • KISR Database. (2010). Hydrological and hydrogeological maps and plates of Kuwait. Kuwait: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, C. P. (2016). Modelling of seawater intrusion using SUTRA. Roorkee: National Institute of Hydrology. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.2857.0005.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Maimone, M. (2004). Defining and managing sustainable yield. Ground Water, 42(6), 809–814. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2004.tb02739.x.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MEW. (2017). Statistical year book about water. Kuwait: Ministry of Electricity and Water, Government of Kuwait.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mukhopadhyay, A., Al-Sulaimi, J., & Barrat, J. M. (1994). Numerical modeling of ground-water resource management options in Kuwait. Ground Water, 32(6), 917–928.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mukhopadhyay, A., Quinn, M., Al-Haddad, A., Boota, A., & Bhatti, M. (2016). Monitoring and assessment of the natural attenuation of hydrocarbon pollution of fresh groundwater resources in Kuwait. Kuwait: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neff, J., Lee, K., & DeBlois, E. M. (2011). Produced water: Overview of composition, fates, and effects. In K. Lee & J. Neff (Eds.), Produced water (pp. 3–54). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Neuman, S. P. (1975). Analysis of pumping test data from anisotropic unconfined aquifers considering delayed gravity response. Water Resources Research, 11(2), 329–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicol, J. P., Reedy, R. C., Costley, R. A., & Huang, Y. (2012). Oil & gas water use in Texas: Update to the 2011 mining water use report. Retrieved 2012, from http://www.twdb.texas.gov/publications/reports/contracted_reports/doc/0904830939_2012Update_MiningWaterUse.pdf.

  • Omar, S., Al-Yacoubi, A., & Senay, Y. (1981). Geology and groundwater hydrology of the State of Kuwait. Journal of the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies, 1, 5–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rashid, H., Al-Shukri, H., & Mahdi, H. (2014). Optimal management of groundwater pumping of the cache critical groundwater area, Arkansas. Applied Water Science, 5(3), 209–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlumberger Water Services. (2009). Study and developing the natural and artificial recharge of groundwater aquifer in the state of Qatar. Qatar Ministry of Environment, Doha, Qatar.

  • Senay, Y. (1977). Groundwater resources and artificial recharge in Raudatain water field. Ministry of Electricity and Water, (unpublished report) Kuwait.

  • Seward, P., Xu, Y., & Brendonck, L. (2007). Sustainable groundwater use, the capture principle, and adaptive management. Water SA. https://doi.org/10.4314/wsa.v32i4.5287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherif, M., & Al-Rashed, M. (2001). Vertical and horizontal simulation of seawater intrusion in the Nile Delta Aquifer. In First international conference on saltwater intrusion and coastal Aquifersó Monitoring, modeling, and management. Essaouira, Morocco, April 23–25, 2001 Water Resources Division, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait.

  • SMEC. (2003). Characteristics of groundwater quality in Kuwait before August 1990. Report no. 4, GD1.1. Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation, Australia.

  • Stevick, E., Pohll, G., & Huntington, J. (2005). Locating new production wells using a probabilistic-based groundwater model. Journal of Hydrology, 303(1–4), 231–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tartakovsky, G. D., & Neuman, S. P. (2007). Three-dimensional saturated-unsaturated flow with axial symmetry to a partially penetrating well in a compressible unconfined aquifer. Water Resources Research, 43(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006wr005153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Todd, D. K. (1980). Groundwater hydrology (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Viswanathan, M. N., Al-Senafy, M., Mukhopadhyay, A., Kodittuwakku, K., & Al-Fahad, K. (1997). Assessment of the long-term pollution potential of the groundwater of the Raudhatain and Umm Al-Aish. Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, report no. KISR5006, Kuwait.

  • Voss, C. (2008). A finite element model for saturated-unsaturated fluid density dependent flow and solute transport. United States Geological Survey Water Resources Investigation Report 02-4231, USA.

  • Walton. (1962). Selected analytical methods for well and aquifer evaluation. Illinois State Water Survey Bulletin 49, Urbana, Illinois.

  • World Health Organization (WHO). (1996). Guidelines for drinking water quality. Health criteria and other supporting information (2nd ed., Vol. 2). Geneva: World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, Q., Bear, J., & Bensabat, J. (2005). Saltwater upconing and decay beneath a well pumping above an interface zone. Transport in Porous Media, 61(3), 337–363.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zubari, W. K., & Khater, A. R. (1995). Brackish groundwater resources in Bahrain: Current exploitation, numerical evaluation and prospect for utilization. Water Resources Management, 9, 277–297. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00872488.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Kuwait Foundation for Advanced Science (KFAS) (Grant No. WM066C) for funding the project. The constant support and encouragement received from the management of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) are gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Water Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Al-Jahez Street, P.O. Box 24885, 13109, Safat, Kuwait

    Amjad Aliewi, Jasim Al-Kandari, Asim Al-Khalid, Harish Bhandary & Habib Al-Qallaf

Authors
  1. Amjad Aliewi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jasim Al-Kandari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Asim Al-Khalid
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Harish Bhandary
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Habib Al-Qallaf
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amjad Aliewi.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

None.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Aliewi, A., Al-Kandari, J., Al-Khalid, A. et al. Modelling the effect of high level of total dissolved solids (TDS) for the sustainable utilization of brackish groundwater from saline aquifers in Kuwait. Environ Dev Sustain 23, 2204–2223 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00670-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00670-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation