Scribd
Upload
94 views1 page

Groundwater Study of Hasbani River

The document summarizes a study on the characteristics of groundwater in the Hasbani River basin in Lebanon. The Hasbani River derives most of its water from two springs, Wazzani and Haqzbieh, and forms part of the border between Lebanon and Israel. Groundwater is an important source of water for rural communities in the region. The study analyzed water samples from three main aquifers - Jurassic, Cenomanian, and Eocene. Results showed calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate ions were dominant. The hydrochemical facies was determined to be Ca-Mg-HCO3, indicating rock-water interactions are the main geochemical process shaping the

Uploaded by

halwani
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
94 views1 page

Groundwater Study of Hasbani River

The document summarizes a study on the characteristics of groundwater in the Hasbani River basin in Lebanon. The Hasbani River derives most of its water from two springs, Wazzani and Haqzbieh, and forms part of the border between Lebanon and Israel. Groundwater is an important source of water for rural communities in the region. The study analyzed water samples from three main aquifers - Jurassic, Cenomanian, and Eocene. Results showed calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate ions were dominant. The hydrochemical facies was determined to be Ca-Mg-HCO3, indicating rock-water interactions are the main geochemical process shaping the

Uploaded by

halwani
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

ISARM2021 | 2nd International Conference on Transboundary Aquifers: Challenges and the way forward

Characteristics of Groundwater in the Hasbani River - Lebanon


Jalal Halwani1, Mohammad Merheb1*, Bouchra Halwani1, Sadek Awad2
1 Lebanese University, Water & Environment Science Laboratory, FPH 3, Tripoli, Lebanon

2 Lebanese University, Science Faculty, Beirut-Hadath, Lebanon

Abstract

The Hasbani River in Lebanon is one major tributary of the transboundary Jordan River Basin. The
Hasbani River derives most of its discharge from two springs in the south of Lebanon: the Wazzani and
the Haqzbieh. The Hasbani runs for 40 km in Lebanon before crossing the frontier “Blue Line”
at Ghajar and shortly after joining with the Banias and Dan Rivers to feed the Jordan River. For about
4 km downstream of Ghajar, the Hasbani forms the border between Lebanon and the Golan Heights.

In the Hasbani area, groundwater is the main source of water for the Lebanese rural communities living
in the south borders region for their agricultural needs as the Wazzani spring is the only continuous
year-round flow into the Hasbani in Lebanon. After the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area in 2000,
and the international interventions, the Lebanese government started to pump in October 2002 around
4.4 MCM/year (around 13% of its legal part allocated according to Johnston Plan in 1955) at the Wazzani
spring to provide drinking and irrigation water to some 60 villages. Hence, the study of groundwater
quality is an essential tool for better management of water resources in the region.

The objective of this work is to study the hydro-chemistry and geochemistry of the Hasbani basin
aquifers. Three major aquifers: Jurassic, Cenomanian, and Eocene are the main water sources in the
basin. In Total 30 groundwater samples were collected from the 3 aquifers of the study area. Field
parameters such as pH, temperature, electric conductivity (EC), and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) were
measured on-site, while major ions concentrations were analyzed in the laboratory.

Results show that Ca2+, Mg2+, and HCO3- are the major ions of the Hasbani basin groundwater samples.
The hydro-chemical facies of the Hasbani basin’s groundwater is Ca-Mg-HCO3. Rock-water interactions
are the main geochemical processes that govern the formation of groundwater in the study area.
Evaporation did not appear to impact the geochemical processes. Seemingly, pollution from human
activities does not appear to be the main contributor to the water chemistry of the region’s aquifer.
Nevertheless, local contaminations exist, and further work is needed to investigate the full extent of
groundwater pollution in the basin.

You might also like