Digital maps of groundwater characteristics in the localities of Al- Sawawa and Al-Aman in the Al-Mahjoub area A comparative study using geographic information systems

Abstract

Abstract: The research aims to analyze the spatial distribution of the
qualitative characteristics (physical and chemical) of groundwater in the
localities of Al-Sawawa and Al-Aman, and to produce digital maps for
them using geographic information systems based on the results of the
analysis of 20 samples of groundwater wells in the laboratory to determine
their characteristics. It was appreciated Hydrogen Ion Concentration (pH),
Electrical conductance (EC), Total dissolved salts (TDS), Nitrate,
chloride, magnesium, calcium and bicarbonate ions, and comparison of
results with Libyan and international standards for drinking purposes. The
results showed spatial differences for the qualitative characteristics
(chemical and physical) between the water of the groundwater wells in the
two study areas, whereas the pH recorded the highest value of 7.50 mg /
liter in well 6,it reached the lowest value of 6.94 mg / liter in well 8 in the
Sawawa area, while it was between 7.52 mg/L and 6.65 mg/L in Al-Aman
area. Also, the results indicated that the values of the total dissolved salts
reached the highest 4556 mg / liter in well 6, while the lowest was 1198
mg / liter in well 9, and nearly 10418 in well 17 and about 1970 mg / liter
in well 18 in Al-Sawawa and Al-Aman localities, which made it outside
the permissible limits for domestic use in drinking according to Libyan
and international standards, While calcium concentrations in groundwater
wells ranged between 120 and 400 mg/liter in Al- Sawawa locality, it
reached between 200 and 400 mg/liter in Al-Aman locality, at a rate of
206 mg/liter, and the average chloride in groundwater in the study area
was about 1350 mg/liter, and its concentration ranged Between 532.5 in
well 13 and 1881.5 mg/L in well 15 in Al- Sawawa locality and between
781 and 4331 mg/L in Al-Aman locality. The study produced high-
resolution digital Maps showing the geographical distribution and
qualitative characteristics of groundwater.
Keywords: groundwater, geographical distribution, digital maps,
geographic information systems, qualitative characteristics.