An Analysis of Groundwater in Sinjar Plain (Northwest of Iraq) Using WQI Model

INTRODUCTlONGroundwater is very important in arid and semi--arid areasand in areas located far away from sources of surface water. Itdoes not contain suspended materials, organic materials andbacteria (as long as it does not get polluted from othersources), but it mostIy contains mineraI and chemicaI com-pounds with identified quantities, depending on the type ofrocks presented in the area.The importance of groundwater relies on its quantity,avai1ability and how to substitute its used amo…

An Analysis of Groundwater in Sinjar Plain (Northwest of Iraq) Using WQI Model

Sinjar plain-northwest Iraq has an abundant amount of groundwater. Due to the importance of this water source, the water quality index (WQI) model was used in the classification of groundwater in the western and eastern regions of Sinjar plain for beneficial use. Groundwater samples were chemically analyzed to calculate the values of WQI. This model consists of a single number of the integrated deviation from standard quality, which indicates the relative importance of each relevant variable for beneficial use. The results indicate that the WQI could be used to determine the particular uses of groundwater. The groundwater in the Sinjar plain is more suitable for irrigation than for livestock drinking and domestic use.