AN ASSESSMENT OF THE NITRATE AND CHLORIDE IN THE WEST BANK GROUNDWATER RESOURCES USING GIS

Abstract

Groundwater is the major source of water to the Palestinians. Efficient management of this resource requires a good understanding of its status. This understanding necessitates a characterization of the utilizable quantities and the corresponding qualities. The research focuses on the long-term degradation of water quality in the West Bank aquifers. A statistical analysis is carried out for the spatial and temporal distributions of the nitrate and chloride concentrations. GIS technology is utilized to facilitate the analysis and to efficiently account for the spatiality inherent in water resources parameters. Results confirm that the nitrate concentration across the West Bank aquifers has an increasing trend after the year 1985. As for chloride, the wells of the Jordan Valley have the highest concentrations. Overall, the recommendations call for an immediate intervention to solve the quality problems in the West Bank aquifers.