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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2026)

Evaluation of drainage and well water for drinking and agricultural use in calcareous soils

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.12708
Submitted
13 November 2025
Published
20-07-2026 — Updated on 29-07-2026
Versions

Abstract

Severe water scarcity and qualitative degradation increasingly threaten rural ecosystems in arid countries like Iraq due to declining transboundary allocations and intensive agricultural pesticide applications. This research evaluated the surface and groundwater quality within wells and streams located in specific rural regions. In countryside areas in Iraq, the pointed problems of low groundwater levels and high usage of pesticides by the farmers lead to low water quality in terms of physical and chemical components especially in wells. The water resources are used in countryside areas for irrigation, animal and domestic demands. The quality of the water was measured according to the Iraqi quality standard specifications for drinking water and irrigation (Iraqi quality standards, 2010), the World Health Organization guidelines (WHO, 2011) and the US Environmental Protection Agency regulations (USEPA) (1975). The collected data are compiled and compared to the specification limits of these standards. The outcomes of the present study show the proportion of water points acceptable for agricultural irrigation, highlighting options for salt-tolerant crops based on localised salinity parameters. While a distinct 10 wells met standard regulatory criteria for drinking water based on pH, salinity and total hardness. While other wells appear to have high ionic concentration and high amount of salt dissolved in water causing them to be excluded from considerations for human use and irrigation and making them viable only for highly salt-tolerant crops. Overall, the results uncovered that salinity and ionic components are the major factors determining water quality and its suitability for irrigation or human uses in rural environments, as well as whether there is a benefit to invest there.

 

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