Abstract
Groundwater crisis in Gaza includes two major folds: shortage of water supply and contamination. The groundwater pollution by nitrates increased rapidly as a result of wastewater leakage, sewage sludge, animal manure and N-fertilizers. The aims of this study are to obtain the impacts of implementing the Gaza Emergency Technical Assistance Programme (GETAP) on the nitrate concentration in groundwater in Gaza Strip using modeling approach. A flow and transport model using a three dimensional, finite difference simulation model (VMODFLOW Pro.) was applied to simulate the Gaza coastal aquifer (GCA). The approach for selecting the management scenarios was carried out depending on the GETAP projects and focuses into the aquifer system during the next 24 years. It was estimated that work as usual scenario will raise the average nitrate concentration by 8.15 mg/l annually, while upgrade and maintain pipe work scenario will reduce the rising of average nitrate concentration by 4.51 mg/l annually. This means that the average nitrate concentration will increase by only 3.63 mg/l annually. Also, it was estimated that scenarios imported water from Israel, construction of short term low volume desalination plant (STLV), Construction of two regional desalination plant and Reuse of treated wastewater in addition to decrease N-fertilizer will annually increase the average nitrate concentration by only (4.67, 2.78, 3.87, 2.15) mg/l, respectively. The results show that applying all the scenarios together will decrease the average nitrate concentration by 2.44 mg/l annually. Regionally, the best scenario to solve the increasing of nitrate concentration problem is a combination of those scenarios. In domestic areas, the best scenarios is STLV and upgrading and maintaining pipe work. In Agriculture areas, the best scenario and the only one that has significant effect is the reuse of treated wastewater in addition to decrease N-fertilizer.
Highlights
In Gaza strip, Palestine, groundwater is the major source for water supply for domestic and agricultural uses and it has already been not enough
It is shown that the most effective scenarios is divided in two cases: a) In domestic areas the better scenarios is the short term low volume desalination plant (STLV) desalination plant and the upgrade and maintaining the pipe work in addition to apply all scenarios together. b) In Agriculture areas the better scenarios or the scenario which only have significant effect is the reuse of the TWW addition to apply all scenarios together
The used finite-difference code MODFLOW to simulate the hydraulic head within the groundwater and the MT3D to simulate the nitrate transport are good tools, other modeling tools may introduces only on graphics and outputs better than VMODFLOW
Summary
In Gaza strip, Palestine, groundwater is the major source for water supply for domestic and agricultural uses and it has already been not enough. In year 2002, the available yield of groundwater was about 91 MCM/year while the total abstraction for domestic and agricultural purposes was 153 MCM/year [1]. This result is affecting in a negative way the quality and the quantity of the municipal water that is pumped to the consumers. The excess NO3− in the groundwater of the Gaza Strip occurred as a result of NO3− leaching from irrigation, wastewater septic tanks, sewage sludge, animal manure and synthetic fertilizers
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