Geochemistry of sulphate-bearing water of Akra Kaur Dam, Gwadar, Balochistan, Pakistan and its assessment for drinking and irrigation purposes

This paper is an attempt to study the geochemistry of Akra Kaur Dam (AKD) water, north of Gwadar city, southern Balochistan. Representative water samples were collected from AKD reservoir to assess the suitability of water for drinking and agriculture purposes. The major ionic composition is suggestive for freshwater. The average ionic composition demonstrate SO4 > Ca > Na > Cl > HCO3 > Mg > K. The plots on Piper diagram reflected Ca-Mg-SO4 type of water facies. High Ca/SO4 and Ca/Mg ratios revealed that the water has influence of gypsum dissolution. The negative ratio of chloro-alkaline indices indicated reverse exchange between Ca and Mg in water occurred with Na and K in rocks. The pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved salts, Ca, Mg, Na, K, HCO3, Cl and SO4 concentrations in the dam water were below the permissible limit, however, Na and SO4 were above the desirable limit, set by the World Health Organization. Important parameters such as residue sodium carbonate, sodium percent, sodium adsorption ratio, permeability index, magnesium content and Kelley's ratio were calculated to evaluate the suitability of water for irrigation purpose. The result were compared with standard permissible limits and found satisfactory. The health and agriculture hazards of sulphate-bearing water were also discussed.