نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 گروه مهندسی آب، دانشکده مهندسی زراعی و عمران روستایی، دانشگاه علوم کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی خوزستان، خوزستان، ایران
2 دانشیار گروه مهندسی آب-دانشگاه علوم کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی خوزستان
3 گروه مهندسی طبیعت، دانشکده کشاورزی، دانشگاه علوم کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی خوزستان، خوزستان، ایران
4 مدیر مرکز پایش و نظارت بر کیفیت آب و فاضلاب- شرکت آب و فاضلاب خوزستان.
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
This study evaluated the quality of drainage water from autumn wheat fields in Bavi County, Khuzestan Province. Monthly water samples were collected from the Karun River between December 2023 and February 2024. Samples were taken from three drainage collectors located at 950, 1410, and 1770 meters, following a factorial experimental design based on a randomized complete block design with two factors: location (at three levels) and time (at three levels). Key physicochemical parameters measured included total dissolved solids (TDS), alkalinity, electrical conductivity, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, phosphate, nitrate, carbonate, and bicarbonate. To assess the water’s suitability for irrigation, several hydrochemical indices were calculated: soluble sodium percentage (SSP), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), permeability index (PI), Kelly’s ratio (KR), magnesium adsorption ratio (MAR), and total hardness (TH). Results showed that the average TDS in drain 1 (1992 mg/L) was significantly lower than in drain 2 (3580 mg/L) and drain 3 (3573 mg/L). Similarly, average values of irrigation quality indices for drain 1—such as SAR (23.59), RSC (1.5), PI (53%), KR (0.97), MAR (0.24), and TH (800 mg/L)—were all markedly lower compared to the other drains. These findings indicate that water from drain 1 is suitable for irrigating all plant types—sensitive, semi-sensitive, and tolerant—due to its favorable salinity levels and cation balance. Conversely, the high salinity and elevated sodium and chloride concentrations in water from drains 2 and 3 limit their use to salt-tolerant crops. Irrigation of sensitive or semi-sensitive plants with water from these drains would require careful management and remediation. This study underscores the importance of continuous monitoring of drainage water quality and the implementation of integrated water resource management to promote sustainable water use.
کلیدواژهها [English]
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Article type: Research Article
Article history: Received: May. 9, 2025 Revised: June. 27, 2025 Accepted: July. 14, 2025 Published online: Sep. 2025
Keywords: Drainage Water Quality, Hydrochemical Indices, Sustainable Agriculture, Water Resource Management |
This study evaluated the quality of drainage water from autumn wheat fields in Bavi County, Khuzestan Province. Monthly water samples were collected from the Karun River between December 2023 and February 2024. Samples were taken from three drainage collectors located at 950, 1410, and 1770 meters, following a factorial experimental design based on a randomized complete block design with two factors: location (at three levels) and time (at three levels). Key physicochemical parameters measured included total dissolved solids (TDS), alkalinity, electrical conductivity, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, phosphate, nitrate, carbonate, and bicarbonate. To assess the water’s suitability for irrigation, several hydrochemical indices were calculated: soluble sodium percentage (SSP), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), permeability index (PI), Kelly’s ratio (KR), magnesium adsorption ratio (MAR), and total hardness (TH). Results showed that the average TDS in drain 1 (1992 mg/L) was significantly lower than in drain 2 (3580 mg/L) and drain 3 (3573 mg/L). Similarly, average values of irrigation quality indices for drain 1—such as SAR (23.59), RSC (1.5), PI (53%), KR (0.97), MAR (0.24), and TH (800 mg/L)—were all markedly lower compared to the other drains. These findings indicate that water from drain 1 is suitable for irrigating all plant types—sensitive, semi-sensitive, and tolerant—due to its favorable salinity levels and cation balance. Conversely, the high salinity and elevated sodium and chloride concentrations in water from drains 2 and 3 limit their use to salt-tolerant crops. Irrigation of sensitive or semi-sensitive plants with water from these drains would require careful management and remediation. This study underscores the importance of continuous monitoring of drainage water quality and the implementation of integrated water resource management to promote sustainable water use.
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Cite this article: Dakhili, M., Zahiri, J., Cheraghi, M., Moradi, Sh. (2025) Assessment of Agricultural Drainage Water Quality for Irrigation Reuse Using Hydrochemical Indices (Case Study: Bavi County, Khuzestan), Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research, 56 (7), 1949-1966. https://doi.org/10.22059/ijswr.2025.394995.669936 © The Author(s). Publisher: University of Tehran Press. |
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EXTENDED ABSTRACT
Given the increasing need for water resources in agriculture and the limitation of freshwater resources, the reuse of agricultural drainage water is important as a sustainable solution in water resource management in arid and semi-arid regions. In Bavi County, Khuzestan Province, due to the high volume of agricultural drainage water production, it is essential to evaluate the quality of these waters and investigate their reusability for irrigating crops such as wheat, barley, corn, and legumes. This research aims to assess the quality of drainage water and examine the possibility of its reuse in the hot and dry climatic conditions of southwestern Iran. As an innovative approach towards sustainable agriculture and water resource management, it can contribute to improving management decisions at the regional and national levels.
In this study, to evaluate the water quality of agricultural drains in Bavi County. Samples were taken from three drainage collectors located at 950, 1410, and 1770 meters from Karun River, following a factorial experimental design based on a randomized complete block design with two factors: location (at three levels) and time (at three levels December 2023 to February 2024). Physicochemical parameters of the water, including Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Calcium (Ca²⁺), Magnesium (Mg²⁺), Sodium (Na⁺), Potassium (K⁺), Chloride (Cl⁻), Phosphate (PO₄²⁻), Nitrate (NO₃⁻), Carbonate (CO₃²⁻), and Bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻), were measured. Hydrochemical indices, including Sodium Percentage (SSP), Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC), Permeability Index (PI), Kelly's Ratio (KR), Magnesium Adsorption Ratio (MAR), and Total Hardness (TH), were used to evaluate irrigation water quality. Additionally, three water quality classification systems (Nejbaur, USSL, and FAO) were employed to analyze water quality and its reusability in irrigation.
Results showed that the average TDS in drain 1 (1992 mg/L) was significantly lower than in drains 2 (3580 mg/L) and 3 (3573 mg/L). Similarly, average values of irrigation quality indices for drain 1—such as SAR (23.59), RSC (1.5), PI (53%), KR (0.97), MAR (0.24), and TH (800 mg/L)—were all markedly lower compared to the other drains and were closer to river water values. The results of this study indicate that Drain 1 has better hydrochemical quality compared to Drains 2 and 3. Furthermore, the ratio of calcium and magnesium ions to sodium in Drain 1 was more favorable, indicating its high potential for reuse in irrigation. In contrast, Drains 2 and 3, due to high salinity and high concentrations of sodium and chloride ions, require remediation measures such as mixing with better quality water or employing saline soil management techniques.
Overall, the results of this research showed that the water from Drains 2 and 3 is unsuitable for irrigating agricultural crops and requires remediation measures such as agricultural gypsum or heavy leaching for their use. In contrast, Drain 1 had better conditions and has the potential for use in irrigating semi-tolerant crops such as wheat, barley, and corn, but requires careful management to prevent salinity and sodicity problems in the soil. This study emphasizes the importance of accurate assessment of agricultural drainage water quality and the use of hydrochemical indices in water and soil resource management, and its results can serve as a basis for management decisions and policies regarding the reuse of drainage water in arid and semi-arid regions of the country.
First author: Data collection, writing first draft, Second author: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Writing Original Draft, Third author: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing - Review & Editing, Fourth author: Writing - Review & Editing.
Data available on request from the authors.
The authors would like to thank the reviewers and editor for their critical comments that helped to improve the paper. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support and facilities provided by the Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan.
The authors avoided data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and misconduct.
The author declares no conflict of interest.
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