Studying Groundwater Quality Affected by Barka Dumping Site: An Integrated Approach

This paper discusses the groundwater quality and its suitability for various uses such as drinking, livestock and agriculture in Barka area of Northern Oman. The groundwater quality is predicted to be affected by the dumping site of this area which receives every kind of wastes. Therefore, groundwater quality assessment was done by using an integrated approach that evaluates inorganic, organic and microbiological parameters. Groundwater samples were taken from supply wells, usually equipped with permanently installed pumps and few dug wells. The results showed large variations in total dissolved solids, Cl, Na, Mg and SO₄ that suggest the influences of distinguished contamination sources and processes on water chemistry. It has been considered that wastewater (domestic and industrial) disposal could be a principal threat in Barka dumping site. This observation is supported by the concentrations of metals (Ni, Cr, Ba and Pb), biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total coliform count that characterize the groundwater as not appropriate for normal use. However, it has been found that the majority of the water samples are appropriate for agricultural and livestock use consistent with Food and Agricultural Organization guidelines.