Hydrochemical and multivariate analysis of groundwater quality in the northwest of Sinai, Egypt.

The research examines and analyses the quality of the groundwater in the northwestern coast of Sinai, Egypt. The study also investigates the factors that significantly affect the water quality, emphasizing the importance of this for economic activities and development in the region.

Methodology

The authors focused on the region’s groundwater resources, primarily for their essential role in economic and development programs.

• They collected 39 groundwater samples from the Quaternary aquifer and reviewed each for major ionic content.
• The researchers utilized high coefficients of variation, which indicated asymmetry in the recharge of the aquifer.
• The data from these groundwater samples was further analysed by using hierarchical cluster analysis, resulting in the classification of the samples into four clusters. This classification reflects different levels of total dissolvable solids, water types, and ionic orders.

Results

Through principal component analysis, the researchers identified two primary components of the ionic parameters in the groundwater samples:

• The first component accounts for about 56% of the total variance in the sample. This finding suggests that salinization – resulting from processes such as evaporation, leaching, dissolution of marine salts, and seawater intrusion – has a significant impact on the quality of the groundwater.
• The second component represents around 15.8% of the total variance and indicates a dilution of the groundwater due to rainfall and the presence of the El-Salam Canal.

Conclusions and Implications

The research findings have significant implications for human and animal consumption, as well as for irrigation purposes:

• Most of the groundwater samples were found unsuitable for human consumption given their quality.
• About 41% of the samples were deemed suitable for irrigation purposes.
• While the findings reveal that all groundwater samples are suitable for cattle, about 69% were found appropriate for horses, and only 15% were deemed suitable for poultry.

Therefore, the researchers emphasized the importance of closely monitoring and managing the groundwater resources in the northwestern coast of Sinai, given their significant role in the region’s economic and development activities.