Groundwater Depletion in the Western Desert of Karbala Governorate

Abstract

This research discusses the excessive exploitation of groundwater in the western desert of the holy Karbala Governorate, specifically the Ain al-Tamr district. This area relies on groundwater from the Dammam aquifer for various agricultural, industrial, and domestic water uses. Continuous extraction leads to rapid groundwater depletion. To provide a clear picture of the extent of water depletion in the study area, geochemical methods were used to estimate the age of the aquifer water, using the tritium/helium method to estimate the age of modern and more recent water, and carbon dating to estimate the age of ancient water. A program was also usedGenstat was used to analyze the results of laboratory water tests, using Complete Randomize Block Paving (CRBP) statistical analysis based on the one-way method. The study found that old water was being depleted. It also confirmed that the majority of the water in the Dammam reservoir was fresh, confirming that the reservoir was overused and that the majority of its water was being depleted prematurely.