Application of the Water Quality Index (WQI) to Evaluate the Suitability of Groundwater for Irrigation in Bashiqa Sub-district

Section: Articles
Issue
Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026): Journal of Rafidain Environment January 2026
Pages
1-13

Abstract

   The present study aims to evaluate the suitability of groundwater for irrigation using the Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI) in the Bashiqa sub-district, located in Nineveh Governorate, northern Iraq. A total of 20 wells distributed across the area and utilized for irrigation were selected. Irrigation indicators such as Na%, SAR, KR, MAR, PI, P.S, and RCS, in addition to the Wilcox diagram, were employed to assess water suitability for irrigation. The results of the IWQI revealed that 70% of the samples were classified as excellent for irrigation, while 30% were categorized as good. The spatial analysis map indicated that the northern and northwestern regions were characterized as excellent for irrigation, whereas the southern and central parts of the study area were classified as good.

References

  1. Ahmad, S., Singh, N., & Mazhar, S. N. (2020). Hydrochemical characteristics of the groundwater in Trans-Yamuna Alluvial aquifer, Palwal District, Haryana, India. Applied Water Science, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-020-1150-2
  2. Ahmed, M. F., & Faisal, R. M. (2020). GIS based modeling of GWQ assessment at Al-Shekhan area using AHP and SAW techniques. Scientific Review Engineering and Environmental Sciences, 29(2), 172–183. https://doi.org/10.22630/PNIKS.2020.29.2.15
  3. Al-Aarajy, G., Al azzo, O., & Mahmood, H. (2023). Water Quality Indices for Evaluating the Groundwater for Drinking and Irrigation in the Wana District of Northwestern Iraq. Iraqi Bulletin of Geology and Mining, 19(1a), 147–161. https://doi.org/10.59150/ibgm1901a09
  4. Algamal, Z. Y., Shehab, Z. N., & Faisal, R. M. (2025). Spatiotemporal variation analysis of Tigris River water quality in Mosul, Iraq during 2020–2023 based on environmetric techniques. Environmental Earth Sciences, 84(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-024-12086-z
  5. Al-Mashhadany, M. H. S. (2021). Assessment the Suitable of the Groundwater for Civil uses in Kakhirta Village, Al-Ayadiyah Subdistrict, Iraq. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1879(2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1879/2/022060
  6. Al-Saffawi, A. Y. T., Al-Shanoona, R. A. A., & Alobidy, O. M. S. (2021). Application weight mathematical model (WQI) to assess water quality for irrigation: A case study of Tigris river in Nineveh governorate. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 735(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/735/1/012061
  7. Al-Saffawi, Abdulaziz. Y. T., & Al-Barzanji, A. J. A. (2020). Application of the sub-index model for valuation water quality for irrigation uses: A case study of groundwater in Al-Rashidiya area, North of Mosul city of Iraq. Science Archives, 01(02), 61–67. https://doi.org/10.47587/sa.2020.1203
  8. Al-Sindar, N. M. H. (2023). Evaluation of Groundwater Quality Using the Weighted Arithmetic Water Quality Index (WQI) Method in Sana'a. Journal of the College of Basic Education, 29(121), 213-235. (In Arabic).
  9. Al-Soyffe, M. A. A., Al-Shaker, Y. M. S., & AL-Saffawi, A. Y. T. A. (2022). ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY FOR IRRIGATION USING THE SUB-INDEX MODEL: ACASE STUDY OF TIGRIS RIVER WATER IN MOSUL CITY, IRAQ. Journal of Pharmaceutical Negative Results, 1019–1028. https://doi.org/10.47750/pnr.2022.13.s06.136
  10. AL-Yousafani, B. F. abdulkareem. (2021). The Spatial Suitability of Natural Factors Affecting Agricultural Land Uses in the Area of Bashiqa. Journal of Tikrit University for Humanities, 28(10), 255–230. https://doi.org/10.25130/jtuh.28.2021.11
  11. Al-Zubaidi, A. S. K. (2024). Groundwater in Iraq (1st ed.). Dar Araa for Printing, Publishing, and Distribution, Baghdad: Iraq. (In Arabic).
  12. Ayers, R.S. and Westcot, D.W. (1985). water quality for agriculture, FAO Irrigation and Drainage paper No. 29, Rome. In: Al-Soyffe, M. A. A., Al-Shaker, Y. M. S., & AL-Saffawi, A. Y. T. A. (2022). ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY FOR IRRIGATION USING THE SUB-INDEX MODEL: ACASE STUDY OF TIGRIS RIVER WATER IN MOSUL CITY, IRAQ. Journal of Pharmaceutical Negative Results, 1019–1028. https://doi.org/10.47750/pnr.2022.13.s06.136
  13. Bhat, M. A., Wani, S. A., Singh, V. K., Chaudhary, J. S., Singh, C., Amin Bhat, M., Sahoo, J., Tomar, D., & Sanswal, R. (2018). An Overview of the Assessment of Groundwater Quality for Irrigation. Journal of Agricultural Science and Food Research, 9(1), 1–9. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324536967
  14. Djoudi, S., Pistre, S., & Houha, B. (2023). Evaluation of Groundwater Quality and its Suitability for Drinking and Agricultural Use in F’kirina Plain, Northern Algeria. In Jordan Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
  15. Doneen, L.D. (1964). Notes on water quality in agriculture. Department of Water Science and Engineering, University of California, Davis. In: Ravi, K. N., Jha, K. P., Varma, K., Tripathi, P., Gautam, K. S., Ram, K., Kumar, M., & Tripathi, V. (2023). Application of water quality index (WQI) and statistical techniques to assess water quality for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes of the Ghaghara River, India. Total Environment Research Themes, 6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.totert.2023.100049
  16. Eaton, F. M. (1950). Significance of Carbonate in Irrigation Water. Soil Science, 69, 123-133. in: Gabr, E. G., Soussa, H., & Fattouh, E. (2021). Groundwater quality evaluation for drinking and irrigation uses in Dayrout city Upper Egypt. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 12(1), 327–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2020.05.010
  17. Eti, F. A., Easin, E. I., & Aronna, M. M. (2024). ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY INDEX (WQI) IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS OF BANGLADESH USING GROUNDWATER QUALITY PARAMETERS. 7th International Conference on Civil Engineering for Sustainable Development (ICCESD 2024). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/379143841
  18. Faraji, H., & Shahryari, A. (2024). Assessment of groundwater quality for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes using water quality indices and GIS technique in Gorgan aquifer. Desalination and Water Treatment, 320, 100821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dwt.2024.100821
  19. Hassan, H. M., Ismaeel, A. J., Ethaib, S., & Al-Zaidi, B. M. (2023). Developing Spatial Models of Groundwater Quality in the Southwestern Desert of Iraq Using GIS, Inverse Distance Weighting, and Kriging Interpolation Techniques. Mathematical Modelling of Engineering Problems, 10(4), 1169–1179. https://doi.org/10.18280/mmep.100409
  20. Hussein, H., El Maghraby, M. M. M. S., & Abu Salem, H. S. (2024). Application of water quality index and statistical-hydrochemical techniques in groundwater assessment of the Quaternary aquifer, southwest Nile Delta of Egypt. Applied Water Science, 14(6). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-024-02189-0
  21. Hussein, R. A., & Al-Salem, T. H. A. (2017). Hydrochemistry and Water Quality for Alqosh-Kand Catchment Area North of Mosul / North of Iraq. Kirkuk University Journal /Scientific Studies (KUJSS), 12(1). www.kujss.com
  22. Jadoon, W. A., Zaheer, M., Tariq, A., Sajjad, R. U., & Varol, M. (2024). Assessment of hydrochemical characteristics, health risks and quality of groundwater for drinking and irrigation purposes in a mountainous region of Pakistan. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 31(31), 43967–43986. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-34046-7
  23. Jafar, R. (2016). Application of the NSFWQI Water Quality Index to Lake Sen River. Tishreen University Journal for Research and Scientific Studies, 38(4), 43-63. (In Arabic).
  24. Jouda, H. G., & Jaber, A. A. (2022). Analysis of Groundwater Characteristics in the Tulul al-Tar Area. Journal of Arts, 2(140), 287-304. (In Arabic).
  25. Kelly, W.P. (1940). Permissible Composition and Concentration of Irrigated Waters. Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers, 66, 607–613. In: Ravi, K. N., Jha, K. P., Varma, K., Tripathi, P., Gautam, K. S., Ram, K., Kumar, M., & Tripathi, V. (2023). Application of water quality index (WQI) and statistical techniques to assess water quality for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes of the Ghaghara River, India. Total Environment Research Themes, 6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.totert.2023.100049
  26. Kumari, M., & Rai, S. C. (2020). Hydrogeochemical Evaluation of Groundwater Quality for Drinking and Irrigation Purposes Using Water Quality Index in Semi Arid Region of India. Journal of the Geological Society of India, 95(2), 159–168. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-020-1405-4
  27. Nag, S. K., & Das, S. (2017). Assessment of groundwater quality from Bankura I and II Blocks, Bankura District, West Bengal, India. Applied Water Science, 7(6), 2787–2802. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-017-0530-8
  28. Raghunath, H. M. (1987). Groundwater. New Delhi: Wiley Eastern Ltd. in: Gabr, E. G., Soussa, H., & Fattouh, E. (2021). Groundwater quality evaluation for drinking and irrigation uses in Dayrout city Upper Egypt. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 12(1), 327–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2020.05.010
  29. Razzuqi, R. F. (2024). Qualitative Characteristics of Groundwater in Zurbatiyah District, Eastern Iraq, and its Suitability for Various Uses. Journal of Sustainable Studies, 6(4), 703-720. (In Arabic).
  30. Richards, L. A. (1954). Diagnosis and Improvement of Saline and Alkali Soils. Washington DC: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Handbook No. 60. In: Ravi, K. N., Jha, K. P., Varma, K., Tripathi, P., Gautam, K. S., Ram, K., Kumar, M., & Tripathi, V. (2023). Application of water quality index (WQI) and statistical techniques to assess water quality for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes of the Ghaghara River, India. Total Environment Research Themes, 6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.totert.2023.100049
  31. Saleh, Z. A., & Hassan, A. A. (2018). Evaluating the Efficiency of Some Water Treatment Plants in Najaf Governorate. Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology, 6(2), 185-199. (In Arabic).
  32. Shehab, Z. N., Farhhan, A. F., & Faisal, R. M. (2024). Spatial variation influence of landscape patterns on surface water quality across an urbanized watershed in Mosul city, Iraq. Sustainable Water Resources Management, 10(5), 181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-024-01162-8
  33. Subramaniyan, A., Balaji, A., & Andimuthu, R. (2024). Assessment of groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation in Dindigul district, southern India: Hydrochemical characterization and spatial analysis. Desalination and Water Treatment, 320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dwt.2024.100772
  34. Wilcox, L. V. (1955). Classification and Use of Irrigation Waters. Washington DC: United States Department of Agriculture Circular, No. 969. in: Gabr, E. G., Soussa, H., & Fattouh, E. (2021). Groundwater quality evaluation for drinking and irrigation uses in Dayrout city Upper Egypt. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 12(1), 327–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2020.05.010

Authors

Omar Mahmood Ibrahim

Ayad F. Qasim

Raid M. Faisal

Identifiers

DOI: 10.33899/jre.v4i1.61417

Download this PDF file
PDF

Statistics

Copyright and Licensing
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.