Groundwater Quality Assessment for Drinking and Irrigation Purposes in Khartoum Area- between two Niles–Sudan

Abstract The Nile and groundwater waters are the two sources for drinking and irrigation water in Khartoum corridors. The assessment of groundwater quality is of high priority for safe uses of water. The suitability of groundwater for drinking purpose was made by applying water quality index (WQI). For irrigation purpose the assessment was based on the Percentage of sodium, Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), Permeability index (PI), Residual sodium carbonate (RSC), Kelly’s ratio (KR), Magnesium adsorption ratio (MAR) and Chloro-alkaline indices (CAI). The water quality index (WQI) reveals that all groundwater samples are found between excellent and good category of water and appropriate for drinking purposes. It is indicated that 95% and 96% of groundwater samples are grouped as excellent water for Gezira and Sandstone aquifers respectively, the remaining samples grouped as Good water. Most of the characteristics of irrigation water which calculated for the groundwater of Sandstone aquifers are more suitable for irrigation than the groundwater for Gezira aquifers (%Na, SAR, PI %, RCS, MAR%, KR and CAI). In the Sandstone aquifers the water quality adjacent to the Blue Nile is excellent than water quality adjacent to the White Nile. WQI is influenced by T.D.S in Gezira aquifers and by Nitrogen compounds in Sandstone aquifers.