Groundwater contamination in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: a review

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 28; no. 17; pp. 21023 - 21044
• Main Authors: Siddiqi, Sajjad Ahmad, Al-Mamun, Abdullah, Baawain, Mahad Said, Sana, Ahmad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.05.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Anions; Anthropogenic factors; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Cations; Coastal aquifers; Contaminants; Contamination; Cooperation; Decision making; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental science; Freshwater resources; Groundwater; Groundwater pollution; Groundwater quality; Heavy metals; Human influences; Humans; Industrial areas; Landfills; Literature reviews; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Quality standards; Radioisotopes; Radium; Review Article; Saline water intrusion; Salt water intrusion; Seawater; Seepage; Uranium; Waste disposal sites; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollution Control; Water Quality; Water quality standards; Water resources; Water security; Groundwater pollution; Radioactive elements, Policy frameworks; Groundwater quality; Heavy metals
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-13111-5

Groundwater quality levels are currently deteriorating in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries due to excessive surface and subsurface human activities. Agricultural and industrial activities, landfill seepage and seawater intrusion have been attributed to the deterioration of groundwater quality in GCC states. Such a deterioration of groundwater quality could affect water security in the region, including human health and the ecosystem. Therefore, this review aims to identify the key causes of groundwater contamination across the GCC countries from the published literature. In addition, the review summarizes the major components of the groundwater contaminants across the GCC countries. The results have shown that heavy metals, several cations and anions are the leading cause of groundwater pollution. In most cases, the level of metals and ion contaminants exceeds both the local and international water quality standards. The results have observed the presence of high levels of coliform and radioactive elements in groundwater, especially Uranium and Radium, thereby posing additional risk to human health through consumption. Considering the scarcity of freshwater resources in GCC, urgent actions are required from the decision-makers and relevant regulatory bodies to set up and implement long-term mitigation strategies and stringent policies that will protect the groundwater resources from the adverse effects of anthropogenic activities.