Abstract
Drinking groundwater represents 30% of the world’s fresh water and 0.9% of the whole world’s water. Therefore, routine analysis and monitoring of the groundwater is a paramount issue, specifically the measurement of elemental concentrations due to aquifer characterization. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to determine major and trace elements in groundwater. In total, 25 samples of groundwater were collected from wells in the Bisha area, Asir province, Saudi Arabia. All samples were analyzed for major and trace elements by using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). In total, 15 elements were measured including four major elements (Na, K, Mg, and Ca) and 11 trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, and Pb). Major elements (Na, Mg, and Ca) exceeded the guideline limits in some samples. In addition, only one trace element (Se) exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) permissible limits in some samples. This could be due to rock characteristics in aquifers. Very hard water was shown in 92% of the samples. Moreover, a high percentage (32%) of the analyzed samples also exceeded the guideline levels for chloride. ANOVA analysis showed significant difference (p<0.05) between Bisha samples (North and South), Bisha samples (North), and the remaining samples, for V and pH, and Na, Cl−, EC, and TDS, respectively. No significant differences (p>0.05) were reported for Na, K, Mg, Ca, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, and Pb between all samples. In general, 25 significant (p>0.05) correlations were reported among the measured elements. For the positive correlations, similar distribution for the elements is anticipated. In conclusion, the groundwater in this study is not suitable for domestic use due to its hardness and only some are suitable for irrigation. More studies are needed to confirm our findings in the study area.
Highlights
Groundwater is an important source of drinking water for many countries; high percentages come from groundwater in Saudi Arabia (40%), Denmark (98%), e Netherlands (67%), and Sweden (49%), as reported by UNDEP
Essential and toxic elements are the paramount issues in the investigation of groundwater. e existence of such elements depends on the nature of bedrock and the pH value [4, 5]. e World Health Organization (WHO) [6, 7] set a guideline value of 40 and 10 μg/L in drinking water for essential Se and toxic As, respectively
Based on our results reported for the total dissolved solids (TDS), 28% of samples (n 7) were not suitable for drinking water, because they exceeded the guideline value (1000 mg/L) for TDS set by WHO in drinking water [6]
Summary
Groundwater is an important source of drinking water for many countries; high percentages come from groundwater in Saudi Arabia (40%), Denmark (98%), e Netherlands (67%), and Sweden (49%), as reported by UNDEP. There is an increasing trend of using groundwater as a source of drinking water. Erefore, an increasing number of studies have investigated the contamination of groundwater, because groundwater is susceptible to impurities due to its contact with rocks, soil, and plants [1]. Essential and toxic elements are the paramount issues in the investigation of groundwater. E World Health Organization (WHO) [6, 7] set a guideline value of 40 and 10 μg/L in drinking water for essential Se and toxic As, respectively. Numerous studies have investigated trace elements and other contaminants in groundwater [8, 9]. A previous study in Saudi Arabia investigated the presence of heavy metals in groundwater and concluded that some samples were not suitable for human consumption [11]
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