Groundwater Utilization in Kuwait: Some Problems and Solutions

Abstract

Brackish groundwater is one of the major natural water resources presently available in Kuwait. In spite of its poor quality, with total dissolved solids (TDS) of about 3000 ppm, it is increasingly used for landscaping, gardening and agriculture. Extensive use of poor quality groundwater has resulted in several problems. These are: (1) declining groundwater levels by as much as 50 m; (2) deterioration of groundwater quality in agriculture areas due to the return of irrigated water- the TDS of groundwater increased to about 8000 ppm at selected sites; and (3) excessive use of groundwater for landscaping and gardening in urban areas has resulted in the rise of groundwater levels by about 3 m, threatening the integrity of several buildings and roads. The most feasible solutions to these problems are (1) replacing the use of groundwater with artificially recharged and stored treated wastewater in aquifers; (2) reverse osmosis treated groundwaterfor urban and irrigation use at an appropriateprice; and (3) eliminating the over-use of brackish groundwater for irrigation by a better understanding of soil salinity build-up in the root zones.