Evaluation and Zoning of Groundwater Quality for Agricultural Purposes in Gonabad Plain Arid Region

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 MSc Student, Department of Water and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Water and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Water and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran

10.22044/jhwe.2025.15626.1050

Abstract

Groundwater is one of the most important water resources for human society, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. It is estimated that groundwater supplies 34% of drinking water, 42% of irrigated agricultural water, and 24% of direct industrial use worldwide. In arid regions, where average rainfall is significantly low and its distribution is uneven, groundwater plays a crucial role in agricultural water supply. This aim of this work is to evaluate the groundwater quality of the Gonabad Plain in the Khorasan Razavi Province for agricultural purposes using the standards of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); the standards of the Iranian Institute of Standards and Industrial Research, irrigation indices, and the Wilcox classification over a 15-years period. For this purpose, 10 chemical parameters of water including calcium, magnesium, sodium, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDSs), pH, bicarbonate, chloride, and sulfate were analyzed between 2007 and 2022 in 16 wells within the plain. Based on the FAO standards, two parameters of electrical conductivity and magnesium exceeded the permissible limits. According to irrigation indices, the water was classified as unsuitable for drip and sprinkler irrigation, due to certain limitations. Furthermore, based on the Wilcox classification, 31.25% of the wells contained water of medium quality for agricultural use, while the rest were deemed unsuitable, requiring remedial measures.

Keywords


Abedi Koupai, J., & Babaiee, B. (2019). Determination of the boundaries of zayandehrud river bed using arc GIS, HEC-RAS and Hec-GeoRAS extension. JWSS-Isfahan University of Technology, 23(4), 361-376.
Alizadeh, A. (1997). Principles and practices of trickle irrigation. Astan Quds Razavi, Imam Reza University [In Persian].
Alizadeh, A., & Keshavarz, A. (2005). Status of agricultural water use in Iran. Water conservation, reuse, and recycling: Proceedings of an Iranian-American workshop,
Ashouri, R., Emamgholizadeh, S., Haji Kandy, H., Mehdizadeh, S. S., & Jamali, S. (2024). Estimation of land subsidence using coupled particle swarm optimization and genetic algorithm: The case of Damghan aquifer. Water Supply, 24(2), 416-435.
Ayers, R. S., & Westcot, D. W. (1985). Water quality for agriculture (Vol. 29). Food and agriculture organization of the United Nations Rome.
Bates, B., Kundzewicz, Z., & Wu, S. (2008). Climate change and water. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Secretariat.
Chandrakar, A. K., Singh, A. K., & Dhuria, S. S. (2024). RIVER ARPA: THE LIFELINE OF BILASPUR, CHHATTISGARH. International Journal of Lakes and Rivers, 17(1), 57-73.
Delbari, M., Amini Rakan, A., & Sadeghi Marasht, M. (2016). Prediction of spatial distribution pattern of groundwater quality indices in Golestan province for agricultural demands using geostatistics and GIS. Hydrogeology, 1(1), 107-123.
Emamgholizadeh, S. (2008). Water quality assessment of the Kopal River (Iran). International Meeting on Soil Fertility Land Management and Agroclimatology. Turkey: Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi,
Emamgholizadeh, S., Moslemi, K., & Karami, G. (2014). Prediction the groundwater level of bastam plain (Iran) by artificial neural network (ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). Water resources management, 28, 5433-5446.
Ghomishoun, M., Malekian, A., Hosseini, K., Gharachelo, S., & Khamoushi, M. R. (2012). A survey on spatial variations of groundwater quality in Semnan/Sorkheh plain using geostatistical techniques. Iranian Journal of Range and Desert Research, 19(3), 535-545.
Hosseini, Z., Gharechelou, S., Nakhaei, M., & Gharechelou, S. (2016). Optimal design of BP algorithm by ACO R model for groundwater-level forecasting: A case study on Shabestar plain, Iran. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 9, 1-16.
Hosseiny, S. H., Bozorg-Haddad, O., & Bocchiola, D. (2021). Water, culture, civilization, and history. In Economical, Political, and Social Issues in Water Resources (pp. 189-216). Elsevier.
Jahanshahi, A., Rohimoghaddam, E., & Dehvari, A. (2014). Investigating groundwater quality parameters using GIS and geostatistics (case study: Shahr-Babak plain aquifer). Water and soil science, 24(2), 183-197.
Jain, S. K., Agarwal, P. K., & Singh, V. P. (2007). Hydrology and water resources of India (Vol. 57). Springer Science & Business Media.
Khatibi, S., & Arjjumend, H. (2019). Water crisis in making in Iran. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 2(3), 45-54.
Kordi, M., Fazlnia, A., Pirkharrati, H., Rafiei, B., & Vafaei, H. (2014). Groundwater quality assessment within the North West area Kaboodarahang to measure parameters of hydro-geochemistry. New Findings in Applied Geology, 8(16), 24-46.
Madani, K. (2014). Water management in Iran: what is causing the looming crisis? Journal of environmental studies and sciences, 4, 315-328.
Malekian, A., & Mirdashtvan, M. (2015). Groundwater quality study for agricultural purposes by geostatistical analysis (Case study: Hashtgerd Plain, Alborz Province). Journal of Range and Watershed Managment, 68(4), 809-820.
Maroufpoor, E., Sanikhani, H., Emamgholizadeh, S., & Kişi, Ö. (2018). Estimation of Wind drift and evaporation losses from sprinkler irrigation systems by different data‐driven methods. Irrigation and drainage, 67(2), 222-232.
Mesbahzadeh, T., & Soleimani Sardou, F. (2018). Investigating desertification process of Khash plain with emphasis on water and vegetation criteria. Journal of Range and Watershed Managment, 71(2), 518-528.
Motamedi Rad, M., Goli Mokhtari, L., Bahrami, S., & zanganeh asadi, M. a. (2021). Assessment of the quality of water resources for drinking, agriculture and industry in karstic aquifer of Roein Esfarayen basin of North khorasan province [Research]. Journal of Applied Research in Geographical Sciences, 21(62), 73-93. https://doi.org/10.52547/jgs.21.62.73
Ramzanian Azizi, N., Tashakkori, A., Maroufpoor, E., & Emamgholizadeh, S. (2023). Study of the Expansion of Wetting Front from a Point Source in Vertically and Horizontally Layered Soils. Irrigation and Water Engineering, 13(3), 180-195.
Sadeghi, S. H., Ghasemieh, H., Damaneh, M., & Mosavi, S. H. (2016). Irrigation and municipal water quality zoning by GIS. Irrigation and Water Engineering, 6(4), 128-137.
Safdari, Z., Nahavandchi, H., & Joodaki, G. (2022). Estimation of groundwater depletion in Iran’s catchments using well data. Water, 14(1), 131.
Salari, M. (2024). Investigating groundwater quality using water quality indicators for drinking, agriculture and industry (Case study: Shiraz plain). Journal of Environmental Science Studies, 8(4), 7574-7586.
Salehi, H., & Zeinivand, H. (2014). Assessing groundwater quality and selection of the most appropriate spatial interpolation method (Case study: West of Marivan city, Iran). Iranian journal of Ecohydrology, 1(3), 153-166.
Sedaghat, M. (1999 ). Land and Water Resources. Payame Noor University Press.
Sharifi, A., Mirchi, A., Pirmoradian, R., Mirabbasi, R., Tourian, M. J., Haghighi, A. T., & Madani, K. (2021). Battling water limits to growth: lessons from water trends in the central plateau of Iran. Environmental Management, 68, 53-64.
Shiklomanov, I. A. (1998). World water resources: a new appraisal and assessment for the 21st century.
Yazdandoost, F., & Moradian, S. (2021). Climate change impacts on the streamflow of Zarrineh River, Iran. Journal of Arid Land, 13(9), 891-904.
Zahra Atash Souda, G. F. T., Hadi Jafari. (2013). Evaluation of Water Quality in the Bashar River for Drinking, Agricultural, and Industrial Uses and Analysis of Factors Affecting Quality Characteristics.