article · Journal of Ecological Engineering
In northern Morocco, the Ghiss-Nekor coastal aquifer serves as the sole alternative freshwater source, but its quality faces severe degradation. An assessment evaluated water samples from 13 downstream monitoring wells using statistical analysis and geographical information systems mapping against World Health Organization standards. The results indicate that the groundwater is dominated by chloride and sulphate anions, failing to meet drinking water criteria. Elevated sulphate concentrations stem from dissolving evaporite minerals, seawater intrusion, and the disposal of inadequately treated wastewater. High chloride levels, ranging between 408.3 and 1512.3 milligrams per litre, correlate closely with electrical conductivity driven by marine intrusion. While recharge areas near the Nekor River maintain lower salinity under 1.5 grams per litre, coastal sites exceed 3000 microsiemens per centimetre due to seawater mixing and high evaporation, demonstrating an urgent need for groundwater protection measures.
Coastal communities often depend entirely on groundwater when freshwater supplies are scarce. This assessment shows that critical salinity and mineral indicators in the examined aquifer exceed safe thresholds for drinking. Identifying the combined pressures of seawater intrusion, high evaporation, and wastewater discharge is necessary for water authorities attempting to prevent further contamination of a vital regional water reserve.
This diagnostic, early-stage research provides baseline spatial and chemical data rather than a marketable product. The findings could inform environmental engineering firms, municipal planners, and regional water basin agencies seeking to design targeted interventions. In particular, the identified contamination points to an immediate operational need for local wastewater treatment infrastructure and desalination or salinity-management technologies to secure potable and irrigation water.
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Deterioration of water quality is of great concern, particularly in coastal aquifers where it has become difficult to meet water quality standards with appropriate salt content. As groundwater is the only alternative source of freshwater in the coastal plain of Ghiss-Nekor in northern Morocco, there is a need to assess its sustainability and suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes. For this purpose, data obtained from ABHL, corresponding to 13 monitoring wells existing in the downstream part of Ghiss-Nekor aquifer, were gathered and analyzed using a combination of statistical methods and GIS mapping tools. Various qualitative parameters namely; pH, turbidity, salinity, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, Chloride (Cl-), Sulphate (SO4) and some Nitrogen compounds were investigated and compared according to World Health Organization standards. These results suggest that groundwater samples are chemically dominated by chloride anions followed by sulphate anions; high levels of SO4 result from the mineral dissolving of evaporites in addition to the impact of seawater intrusion and the discharge of wastewater without adequate pre-treatment, while Cl- concentrations (408.3-1512.3 mg/L), strongly correlated with electrical conductivity, are related to the impact of seawater intrusion. A few samples along the Nekor River, considered as the aquifer’s recharge zone, showed the lowest salinity levels (<1.5 g/L) compared to the coastal samples which were classified as the most conductive and mineralized (EC greater than 3000 µS/cm) due to the combined impact of mixing with seawater and high evaporation rates. The outcome of this study reveals that the major dissolved anions assessed in the groundwater of the Ghiss-Nekor aquifer do not respect the stipulated criteria in terms of human consumption; therefore, all possible measures should be taken to protect and restore the water quality in this vulnerable coastal aquifer.
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DOI: 10.12911/22998993/169847
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