Assessment of Physicochemical and Bacteriological Parameters in the Angads Aquifer (Northeast Morocco): Application of Principal Component Analysis and Piper and Schoeller–Berkaloff Diagrams

Abstract

Groundwater is a vital resource and a development lever for many countries, including Morocco. To develop these resources, mineralogical and hydrogeochemical studies as well as a bacteriological study were carried out on the groundwater of the Angads aquifer, which is located in the northeast of Morocco to highlight the processes at the origin of mineralization, their quality for human consumption and irrigation, as well as the hydrogeochemical facies of these waters. To do this, a multivariate statistical analysis using principal component analysis, varimax rotation of factors, and hierarchical ascending classification were conducted for all the groundwater samples of the Angads aquifer in Oujda. The main results revealed that these waters present faecal contamination by faecal and total coliforms and faecal streptococci. And another one by nitrates due to the high values of NO3−, as well as the mineralization of these waters is controlled by the nature of the geological formations crossed and the residence time in the aquifer, which is confirmed by the presence of ions such as Cond, HCO3−, Ca2+, Mg2+, and SO42−. Concerning the quality of the groundwater, according to Moroccan standards and the World Health Organization, the results show that they are generally unsuitable for human consumption and irrigation. Two diagrams were used to study the facies: Piper and Schoeller–Berkaloff. The results show that these waters are highly mineralized, with the chloride and sulphate calcic and magnesian facies dominating with 89.47%. To protect this vital resource, sustainable management actions must be implemented, in particular, to reduce the use of pesticides, control the use of fertilizers, and clean up and purify the groundwater.