Spring water quality in the central West Bank, Palestine

Water scarcity and pollution are a threat to agriculture, public health and the environment, especially in semi-arid regions like the West Bank, Palestine. Therefore, a groundwater quality assessment study of the springs in two central western catchments of the West Bank was carried out in October 2015. The suitability of 50 springs for agricultural activities in the Sarida and Natuf catchments as well as their pollution were assessed by analyzing physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the springs’ water. The results show that trace element concentrations in most of the samples lay below the limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The cations averages of Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, and Na+ values were 91, 39, 53, and 26 mg/l respectively, while the anions averages of Cl-, NO3–, SO42-, and HCO3– values were 40, 5, 27, and 200 mg/l respectively. Microbiologically, 63% of the springs were contaminated by fecal and total coliforms. All springs were characterized as earth alkaline water with prevailing bicarbonate, while half of the springs were of the Ca-Mg-HCO3 type and the others were of the Ca-Mg-Na-HCO3 and Ca-Mg-HCO3-Cl water types. The correlation of sodium absorption ratio and electrical conductivity indicates that 68% of the springs were suitable for a wide-range of agricultural purposes, while 32% of the springs were unfit for irrigation of crops or trees. The majority of the polluted springs lie within highly populated areas.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC

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