Abstract
Djerba unconfined sandy aquifer (Southeast of Tunisia) is affected by several contamination phenomenon such as seawater intrusion and anthropogenic activities. This study aims to assess nitrate and faecal pollution in groundwater. More than 70 wells were sampled and analyzed. Geochemical assessment was used to understand the pollution origin and factors controlling this process in Djerba aquifer. Chemical and bacteriological analysis confirms that the sampled wells were seriously affected by both nitrate and faecal pollution problem. Chemical analysis shows that 51% of sampled wells have a nitrate levels more than 50 mg/l. The bacteriological results demonstrated that 95% of wells showed total coliforms densities higher than 10 CFU/100 ml. Thermotolerants coliforms and Escherichia coli were detected in all groundwater sampled (96% of wells). These results confirm the impact of anthropogenic activities on groundwater quality. It seems that this contamination is directly related to septic tanks, which are not waterproof; allow the infiltration of the major part of the liquid phase.
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Souid, F., Agoubi, B., Kharroubi, A. (2017). Assessing the Groundwater Pollution Problem by Nitrate and Faecal Bacteria: Case of Djerba Unconfined Aquifer (Southeast Tunisia). In: Ouessar, M., Gabriels, D., Tsunekawa, A., Evett, S. (eds) Water and Land Security in Drylands. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54021-4_9
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