Sustainable Groundwater Management in the Coastal Aquifer of the Témara Plain, Morocco: A GIS-Based Hydrochemical and Pollution Risk Assessment

Abdessamia El Alaoui, Imane Haidara, Nawal Bouya, Bennacer Moussaid, Khadeijah Yahya Faqeih, Somayah Moshrif Alamri, Eman Rafi Alamery, Afaf Rafi AlAmri, Youness Moussaid and Mohamed Ait Haddou ()
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Abdessamia El Alaoui: Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Hassan II University, Casablanca 50069, Morocco
Imane Haidara: Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences Ben M’sik, Hassan II University, Casablanca 20000, Morocco
Nawal Bouya: Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes 50050, Morocco
Bennacer Moussaid: Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Hassan II University, Casablanca 50069, Morocco
Khadeijah Yahya Faqeih: Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. BOX 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Somayah Moshrif Alamri: Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. BOX 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Eman Rafi Alamery: Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. BOX 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Afaf Rafi AlAmri: Department of Geography, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Youness Moussaid: Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir 80000, Morocco
Mohamed Ait Haddou: Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir 80000, Morocco

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-38

Abstract: Morocco’s Témara Plain relies heavily on its aquifer system as a critical resource for drinking water, irrigation, and industrial activities. However, this essential groundwater reserve is increasingly threatened by over-extraction, seawater intrusion, and complex hydrogeochemical processes driven by the region’s geological characteristics and anthropogenic pressures. This study aims to assess groundwater quality and its vulnerability to pollution risks and map the spatial distribution of key hydrochemical processes through an integrated approach combining Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques and multivariate statistical analysis, as well as applying the DRASTIC model to evaluate water vulnerability. A total of fifty-eight groundwater samples were collected across the plain and analyzed for major ions to identify dominant hydrochemical facies. Spatial interpolation using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) within GIS revealed distinct patterns of sodium chloride (Na-Cl) facies near the coastal areas with chloride concentrations exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water guideline of 250 mg/L—indicative of seawater intrusion. In addition to marine intrusion, agricultural pollution constitutes a major diffuse pressure across the aquifer. Shallow groundwater zones in agricultural areas show heightened vulnerability to salinization and nitrate contamination, with nitrate concentrations reaching up to 152.3 mg/L, far surpassing the WHO limit of 45 mg/L. Furthermore, other anthropogenic pollution sources—such as wastewater discharges from septic tanks in peri-urban zones lacking proper sanitation infrastructure and potential leachate infiltration from informal waste disposal sites—intensify stress on the aquifer. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified three key factors influencing groundwater quality: natural mineralization due to carbonate rock dissolution, agricultural inputs, and salinization driven by seawater intrusion. Additionally, The DRASTIC model was used within the GIS environment to create a vulnerability map based on seven key parameters. The map revealed that low-lying coastal areas are most vulnerable to contamination.

Keywords: groundwater; hydrochemistry; GIS; multivariate statistics; DRASTIC; nitrate contamination; vulnerability; seawater intrusion; agricultural practices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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