Suitability Assessment of Groundwater for Irrigation and Drinking Purpose in the Northern Region of Jordan

Groundwater is an important source of fresh water for agricultural and drinking purposes in Jordan and contributes about 50% of the total water supply. Importance of groundwater for irrigation has been increasing day by day by bringing more area under cultivation. Contamination of such water source is a big problem creating health hazards. In the study, groundwater samples were collected from fifty wells in the northern region of Jordan. These samples have been assessed on the basis of various qualitative parameters. The considered water quality parameters are; pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved salts, calcium and magnesium, sodium, potassium, carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, sulphate, fluoride, sodium adsorption ratio, residual sodium carbonate and soluble sodium percentage. Regarding cation and anion constitutes, groundwater is suitable for irrigation and drinking purposes except of few wells. Electrical conductivity, pH, calcium, magnesium, sodium bicarbonate, chloride, sulfate, nitrate and phosphate concentrations are below the usual limit for irrigation water. In addition, the calculated values indicate a good to permissible use of ground water for irrigation.