Iranian Journal of Irrigation & Drainage

Iranian Journal of Irrigation & Drainage

Spatial and temporal changes in groundwater quality for irrigation and drinking purposes in the coastal aquifer of Minab Plain, Hormozgan Province

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Department of Water Science and Engineering,, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources,, University of Hormozgan,, Bandar Abbas,, Iran
2 , Department of Water Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran
Abstract
In arid regions with low surface water resources, proper management and protection of groundwater resources is crucial to ensure their sustainability. This study conducted a comprehensive assessment of groundwater quality in the critical and important Minab Plain, located in Hormozgan Province, over a ten-year period between 2012 and 2022, with the aim of identifying temporal trends in changes and determining the hydrogeochemical status. The main physicochemical parameters of 12 monitoring wells were investigated in two irrigation and non-irrigation periods. The methodology was based on Kendall rank correlation analysis to determine the correlation and trend of quality parameters over time and using the Water Quality Index (WQI) and Schuller diagrams, Wilcox diagrams to assess groundwater quality for different uses and using the Piper diagram to determine the hydrogeochemical facies. The results of the Kendall test showed that the dominant trend in the plain is towards a decrease in groundwater quality; So that the calculated WQI for most of the sampling wells showed a positive correlation with time (increasing trend), which indicates the deterioration of groundwater quality in this area. In the entire study period, the highest and lowest WQI values were 101 and 354, respectively. Piper diagram analysis showed that the hydrochemical quality of the beginning of the study period changed from better quality calcium-bicarbonate facies to worse quality sodium-chloride facies at the end of the study period. Based on the Wilcox index, most of the samples were distributed in the C3S2 to C4S4 ranges in all study periods. This classification indicates waters with high to very high electrical conductivity (C3 and C4) and medium to very high sodium absorption ratio (S2 to S4). This study emphasizes the need to implement targeted management strategies to control pollutant sources and manage the exploitation of groundwater resources.
Keywords


Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 18 July 2026