TITLE:
Effect of Recharge and Irrigation on the Variation of Nitrate in the Groundwater of Wadi Djendjen (Jijel—North-East Algeria)
AUTHORS:
Abdelmadjid Boufekane, Omar Saighi
KEYWORDS:
Agricultural Pollution; Nitrates; Recharge; Irrigation; Groundwater
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Water Resource and Protection,
Vol.5 No.10,
October
21,
2013
ABSTRACT: This paper presents the effect of recharge and irrigation on the variation of nitrate in the groundwater of wadi Djendjen (Jijel—North-East Algeria) where the intensive use of fertilizers and the recycling of irrigation water have resulted in an alarming increase in nitrate concentrations. In this plain, the groundwater is increasingly polluted by excessive use of fertilizers in agriculture. Indeed, in several areas of irrigated vegetable crops, water contains nitrate levels which exceed the allowed standards for human consumption. The present study consists of a spatio-temporal monitoring of nitrate in groundwater in relation to the dilution caused when charging during the rainy season, on the one hand, and to the leaching by irrigation water during the dry season, on the other hand. The results obtained show an increase in the contamination of groundwater by nitrates and their seasonal variations under the effects of recharge and irrigation.