Testing Groundwater Quality in Jouamaa Hakama Region (North of Morocco) Using Water Quality Indices (WQIs) and Fuzzy Logic Method: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Groundwater is one of the important determinants of human health in many regions of Morocco. Indeed, it is one of the government’s top concerns. However, slow and wrong decisions are hindering the advancement of the quality of groundwater in Morocco. The traditional monitoring methods are costly, time-consuming, and human-resource-intensive, especially in such a developing country. An exploratory study was conducted in the Jouamaa Hakama region in Morocco to test and compare groundwater quality using in situ measurements, water quality indices (WQIs), and a fuzzy logic (FL) method. The methodology followed in this study involves using and comparing four WQIs and FL based on in situ measurements at nine different wells along the Ouljat Echatt River downstream of the Chrafate wastewater treatment station. Twelve physical–chemical and bacteriological parameters: potential of hydrogen (pH), temperature (T°), turbidity (TURB), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand in five days (BOD5), suspended matter (SM), phosphate (PO43−), nitrite (NO2−), nitrate (NO3−), ammonium (NH4+), dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity (EC), and fecal coliforms (FC) were measured in 2016 and 2017. The results show that all wells are of poor quality according to FL and WQIs; the Weighted Geometric WQI and Oregon WQI indicate that the groundwater is below the acceptable standard for human consumption, while the Weighted Arithmetic WQI and Logarithmic WQI indicate that the majority of wells are of good quality. These tested indices represent an excellent tool to support decision making and can be highly helpful in monitoring groundwater quality in vulnerable areas such as the Jouamaa Hakama region in the north of Morocco.