Evaluation of groundwater quality within a typical Egyptian village, north of Cairo, Egypt

Groundwater is the second most abundant water resource in Egypt, 2/3 of which is consumed within the Nile Delta Region and the valley. However, with recent intensification of agricultural and urbanizing activities over the past 40 years, the water quality in the Nile basin aquifer has significantly deteriorated. The objective of this study is to survey the variation in the groundwater quality tapped within a typical Egyptian village located in the valley, north of Cairo, from January until April 2000. Results revealed that locations close to agricultural lands reflected an increase in the TDS, ammonia, nitrates, chlorides and sulfates contents as a implication of vertical and side infiltration of multiple pollutants. In addition, locations within residential quarters recorded significant BOD and COD concentrations, reflecting a significant organic matter intrusion at these wells. Multivariate analysis for the January data indicated that agricultural activities had a greater impact on these waters causing an overall increase in TDS and EC contents. However, with the increase in Nile surface water flow during April, there was an increase in fresh water infiltration within this area, which helped to reduce the TDS, EC and other inherent ionic constituents of these waters.