Classification of Groundwater Quality for Irrigation Purposes in Wetland Region by Irrigation Water Quality Index

Abstract

The current study was conducted to classify the quality of groundwater in wetlands. This research was carried out to evaluate the groundwater quality of wells in the surrounding area according to the Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI) to verify its suitability for agricultural purposes. The IWQI was developed in 2010 by Meireles; it was calculated based on the water quality parameters: EC, Na+1, Mg+2, Ca+2, Cl–1, and $${\text{HCO}}_{3}^{{ - 1}}$$ of 37 monitoring wells. The results of the IWQI show that the water quality declined significantly in July, with the majority of wells 76% within the severe restriction category (SR), which means that it’s suitable only for irrigation of crops with high salt tolerance, and 14% of wells falling within the High Restriction category (HR). The lake’s discharge decreases during the dry season, and most of the water quality classified as a severe restriction (SR), this indicates that the groundwater is influenced by the saline waters of Lake Fetzara, which are already loaded with chemical elements due to evaporation. As a result, the study of groundwater suitability for irrigation revealed that these waters are generally acceptable for irrigation of salt-tolerant crops on well-drained soils but require a prior control of salinity evolution.