Investigation of Water Quality and Evaluation of its suitability for Irrigation and Drinking purposes, Zamra Catchment, Northern Ethiopia

The study is conducted in Zamra catchment, Tigray, northern Ethiopia. The study is focused on the investigation of water-related problems and the geochemical process that controls the geochemistry of groundwater. The analyzed result from primary water samples is in Aquachem and NETPATH simple geochemical model for the geochemical analysis and presentation of the water quality data. The finding results show that the dominant major ions are HCO3> SO4> Ca > Na >Mg >K, respectively. The study area is dominated by magnesium bicarbonate water type specifically Na-Mg-Ca-HCO3, Ca-HCO3-SO4 followed by chloride water types. The chloride water type is observed only in SHW19. The geochemical processes that control the chemical composition of groundwater are silicate weathering, precipitation of calcite, and dissolution of dolomite and anthropogenic activities. There are also impact of the anthropogenic activity that deteriorates water quality. Suitability of water for irrigation and drinking purpose is evaluated using the standards stated by FAO, WHO, and Ethiopian standards. 70 % of groundwater samples have high to very high salinity hazard. Most of the water samples collected are not desirable for drinking purposes. Na is found within the permissible limit except in SHW19.