TITLE:
Evaluation of the Impact of the Ongoing Water Resource Management Plans on Nitrate Concentration in Gaza Coastal Aquifer Using Modeling Approach
AUTHORS:
Yunes Mogheir, Khaled AlTatari
KEYWORDS:
Gaza Strip, Groundwater, VMODFLOW, Nitrate, Flow, Transport
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Water Resource and Protection,
Vol.6 No.12,
September
25,
2014
ABSTRACT: Groundwater
crisis in Gaza includes two major folds: shortage of water supply and
contamination. The groundwater pollution by nitrates increased rapidly as a
result of wastewater leakage, sewage sludge, animal manure and N-fertilizers.
The aims of this study are to obtain the impacts of implementing the Gaza
Emergency Technical Assistance Programme (GETAP) on the nitrate concentration
in groundwater in Gaza Strip using modeling approach. A flow and transport
model using a three dimensional, finite difference simulation model (VMODFLOW
Pro.) was applied to simulate the Gaza coastal aquifer (GCA). The approach for
selecting the management scenarios was carried out depending on the GETAP
projects and focuses into the aquifer system during the next 24 years. It was
estimated that work as usual scenario will raise the average nitrate
concentration by 8.15 mg/l annually, while upgrade and maintain pipe work
scenario will reduce the rising of average nitrate concentration by 4.51 mg/l
annually. This means that the average nitrate concentration will increase by
only 3.63 mg/l annually. Also, it was estimated that scenarios imported water
from Israel, construction of short term low volume desalination plant (STLV),
Construction of two regional desalination plant and Reuse of treated wastewater
in addition to decrease N-fertilizer will annually increase the average nitrate
concentration by only (4.67, 2.78, 3.87, 2.15) mg/l, respectively. The results
show that applying all the scenarios together will decrease the average nitrate
concentration by 2.44 mg/l annually. Regionally, the best scenario to solve the
increasing of nitrate concentration problem is a combination of those
scenarios. In domestic areas, the best scenarios is STLV and upgrading and
maintaining pipe work. In Agriculture areas, the best scenario and the only one
that has significant effect is the reuse of treated wastewater in addition to
decrease N-fertilizer.