Journal of Geoscience and Eco Agricultural Studies

Abstract

Due to the low elevation and small surface area for the islands in Maldives, the groundwater resource is under threat. These threats include land surface pollution, population increase, sea-level rise, and anthropogenic stress such as groundwater mining. Under the influence of marine over wash events, seawater can drain through the thin layer of soil into the groundwater present 1-1.5m from the surface resulting in salinization. This study aims to determine the salinity of the groundwater in K.Male’, obtained from various households and wells and then compared to groundwater sample taken from feed water prior to entering the Reverse Osmosis plant from the Maldives Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC). The feed water sample is from various boreholes spread throughout the city with an average depth of about 40 m and was taken to compare with the other samples to note how salinity changes with depth. A total of 16 samples were taken for this study. Salinity was determined by measuring Electric Conductivity (EC) and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). Other parameters measured included temperature, pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). The samples were then analysed by comparing it to water quality guidelines provided by the World Health Organization and other published research to determine if the ground water samples in Male’ are low saline, brackish, highly saline or fresh.