Spatial and statistical assessment of nitrate contamination in groundwater: Case of Sais Basin, Morocco

Abdelhakim LAHJOUJ; Abdellah EL HMAIDI; Karima BOUHAFA

doi:10.19637/j.cnki.2305-7068.2020.02.006

Volume 8 Issue 2

Jun. 2020

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Abdelhakim LAHJOUJ, Abdellah EL HMAIDI, Karima BOUHAFA. 2020: Spatial and statistical assessment of nitrate contamination in groundwater: Case of Sais Basin, Morocco. Journal of Groundwater Science and Engineering, 8(2): 143-157. doi: 10.19637/j.cnki.2305-7068.2020.02.006

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Spatial and statistical assessment of nitrate contamination in groundwater: Case of Sais Basin, Morocco

doi: 10.19637/j.cnki.2305-7068.2020.02.006

1Laboratory of Geo-engineering and Environment, Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Moulay Ismail University, P O Box 11202, Zitoune, Meknes, Morocco. 2Laboratory of Water, Soil, and Plant, National Institute of Agricultural Research,km 10, Road Haj Kaddour, P O Box 578 VN, Meknes, Morocco.

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Abdelhakim LAHJOUJ

Publish Date: 2020-06-28

Abstract

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the nitrate contamination in the plioquaternary aquifer of Sais Basin based on a statistical approach. A total of 98 samples were collected in the cultivated area during the spring and autumn period of 2018. The results show that 55% and 57% of the samples in spring and autumn respectively exceed the threshold fixed by WHO (50 mg/L). However, nitrate concentrations do not show seasonal and spatial variation (p>0.05). The results of the correlation matrix, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) suggest that nitrate pollution is related to anthropogenic source. Moreover, multiple linear regression results show that NO3 is more positively explained in the spring period by Ca and SO4 and negatively explained by pH and HCO3. Regarding the autumn period, nitrate pollution is positively explained by Ca and negatively by pH. This study proposes a useful statistical platform for assessing nitrate pollution in groundwater.
- Sais Basin,
- Nitrate pollution,
- Groundwater,
- Multivariate statistics

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References(41)

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