Hotspots' identification using groundwater quality assessment related to the Grombalia shallow aquifer, Tunisia

Different developed activities in Grombalia area, located in the North-East of Tunisia, affect the quality and the quantity of the groundwater. This work focus on updated monitoring of several parameters such as, electric conductivity, nitrates, and COD of twenty wells’ samples to assess the shallow aquifer water quality, and its suitability in industrial and agricultural use. The results reveal a significant degradation of groundwater quality. Indeed, the average nitrate concentration of groundwater has increased from 113 mg/L to 138.69 mg/L to around 150 mg/L in 2021 which is higher than the above threshold value.Egally, the results show that 75% of wells exceed the standard of fresh water which indicates that the groundwater is mainly brackish and thus unfit for human consumption. For industrial use, the analytical results indicates that the water hardness is high reaching a value greater than 200 °f in some wells and exceeds the standard required by industries which must be between 1°f and 4°f. However, the quality of the groundwater under study is relatively good for agricultural use considering the evaluation results of suitability indicators for water irrigation. The remediation of this situation requires the establishment of a clear and sustainable strategy in cooperation with the users and managers of this aquifer.
This research is supported by the PRIMA program under grant agreement No1923, project InTheMED. The PRIMA program is supported by the European Union.