Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 2022, 14, 419-432

https://www.scirp.org/journal/jwarp
ISSN Online: 1945-3108
ISSN Print: 1945-3094

Study of the Drinkability of Groundwater on the

Island of MAR in Senegal

Saidou Ndao*, Papa B. Diop Thioune, Diadioly Gassama

Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Thies, Thies, Senegal

How to cite this paper: Ndao, S., Thioune, Abstract

P.B.D. and Gassama, D. (2022) Study of the
Drinkability of Groundwater on the Island For a long time, the supply of drinking water to the island of Mar was en-
of MAR in Senegal. Journal of Water Re- sured by drilling and wells. The advance of the salt wedge led the populations
source and Protection, 14, 419-432.
to stop the exploitation of the drilling due to the accentuation of the salinity
https://doi.org/10.4236/jwarp.2022.146022
of the water characterized by high fluorine content. The marine environment
Received: October 29, 2021 and the rainfall deficit of recent decades as well as population growth have
Accepted: June 19, 2022 highlighted the sensitivity of this resource. The objective of this article is to
Published: June 22, 2022
study the drinkability of the water supplied by the drilling and the wells of the
Copyright © 2022 by author(s) and island of Mar. for this, water samples were taken in the Continental Terminal
Scientific Research Publishing Inc. and their analysis made in situ or in the laboratory. Data processing was done
This work is licensed under the Creative
by using Surfer 11 and ArcGIS software. It was emerged from this study that
Commons Attribution International
License (CC BY 4.0). the drop in the piezometric level caused an entry of salt water. The minerali-
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ zation of the water follows a decreasing trend from areas with marine influ-
Open Access ence inland. Groundwater in certain areas is generally of good quality with
some sources of pollution linked to salinity but also to high levels of nitrate,
chloride and fluorine. The island of Mar being confronted with a problem of
drinkability of groundwater, the alternative would be to proceed to a transfer
of better quality water from nearby areas after a hydrogeological and physi-
co-chemical study of these waters in relation to their fitness for consumption.

Keywords
Salinity, Terminal Continental, Salt Wedge, Pollution, Solutions

1. Introduction
The management of a water resource whether surface or underground is more
than necessary for the sustainable satisfaction of the water needs of a population.
Indeed, a water resource is neither inexhaustible nor insensitive to environmen-
tal attacks [1].

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S. Ndao et al.

In Senegal, apart from regions with permanent watercourses, the drinking

water supply of populations relies entirely on the exploitation of groundwater
reservoirs. Among these reservoirs, we find that of the sandy clay formations of
the Continental Terminal of the island of Mar located on the coasts and in the
estuary. It is the food source for populations and is currently facing salinization
as well as a recharge deficit.
The problems linked to water management on the island of Mar prompt us to
think about the ways and means to be implemented to provide solutions for the
preservation of groundwater.
Indeed, the 1969-1985 drought periods, well known in the Sahel, had negative
consequences in the well-watered Sudano-Guinean areas, in particular on the
estuaries of the coastal areas [2]. The groundwater on the coasts and estuary of
the Saloum Islands has been severely tested. This means that the decrease in
rainfall and river flow as well as the increase in pumping have resulted in: the
general drop in the level of water and the salinization of aquifers located near the
coasts and estuaries. Thus, in the island of Mar, the drop in freshwater inflows,
combined with strong evaporation and a very low slope, favored percolation of
marine waters causing a considerable increase in the salinity of the coastal and
estuary aquifers.
Numerous studies [3] have contributed to improving knowledge of estuaries
such as Saloum and Casamance. They have shown that in addition to the saline
intrusion that manifests itself on the coastal fringe of these systems, the consi-
derable increase in the salinity of river water at the estuary level also contributes
to the contamination of groundwater in this area.
In the island of Mar, a locality based in the islands of Saloum, in the region of
Fatick, is more precisely in the municipality of Fimela, and there is a high chlo-
ride content of the order of 316.8 to 1134.6 mg/l whereas [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] rec-
ommend a maximum level of 250 mg/l. This high content is favored by the
proximity of sea water and an overexploitation of the aquifer water which leads
to the advance of the salt wedge. This is why, the populations of this locality and
the surrounding areas, do not stop complaining to the state authorities because
of the poor quality of the water which not only does not meet the drinking stan-
dards of the WHO but also does not allow the development of agricultural activ-
ities outside the rainy season [9]. The objective of this article is to carry out phy-
sicochemical analyzes of this water in order to decide on its drinkability.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Geographical Situation
Senegal covers an area of 196,722 km2. It is bounded to the east by Mali, to the
west, to the north-west and south-west by the Atlantic Ocean on a maritime
frontage, to the north by Mauritania and to the south by Guinea Bissau and the
Republic of Guinea (Figure 1). The study area covers the northern part of the
Saloum estuary.

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 S. Ndao et al.

Figure 1. Geographical location map of the study area.

The island of Mar is located in the extreme southwestern part of the Munici-
pality of Fimela, Department of Fatick, more precisely to the north of the Sa-
loum estuary. It has more than 10,000 inhabitants [10] and brings together four
(4) villages: Mar Fafaco, Mar Lodj, Mar Soulou and Mar Wandié.
The island of Mar is one of the largest islands in Senegal at 27 km long and 11
km wide. It covers an area of approximately 297 km2.

2.2. Materials Used

Regarding the material used, these include, among others:
• An electromagnetic conductivity meter (EM31) which facilitated the acquisi-
tion of data on electrical conductivities, the variations of which reflect the
heterogeneities and variations of the near-subsoil facies;
• A GPS for locating a few wells and drilling;
• A conductivity meter to measure the conductivity of the water;
• Regarding the software, we used:
• Surfing and ArcGIS which made it possible to spatialize the chemical para-
meters of the groundwater, the topographic data and to map the ions;
• Global Mapper has facilitated the conversion of files from Kmz format to
shapefile format.

2.3. Geophysical Methods Applicable to Salinization Problems

The use of geophysical prospecting for the detection and characterization of

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S. Ndao et al.

aquifers has grown significantly in recent years. In hydrogeology, electrical resis-

tivity can be used, for example, to identify aquifers and determine their thick-
ness. In the environmental field, electrical methods can be used to delineate and
track contaminated plumes of groundwater or soil. Indeed, these methods can
also be used to monitor the quality of the water when there is a possible conta-
mination, have followed the evolution over time using periodic surveys on the
surface or in drilling by logging. In the case of salinization linked to the prob-
lems of marine intrusions, the physical parameter that allows it to be characte-
rized is resistivity or its inverse, conductivity. Our choice, for the EM31 method
which has an investigation depth of 6 m, is justified by the maximum depth of
the wells in the Mar zone which is less than 6 m [11]. There are different me-
thods of mapping soil salinity. In our study, to assess the salinity of the soil in
the perimeter of the drilling, the EM31 electromagnetic conductivity meter is
used.

2.4. Location of Wells and Drilling Sampled

The water samples taken from the aquifer system concern 15 wells and one
drilling and are tracked using Garmin-type GPS. Figure 2 locates the sites where
the samples were taken.

2.5. Sampling Method Adopted

By the method of [12], 15 wells and a drilling were the subject of a campaign of
piezometric readings and measurements of the physical parameters of the water

Figure 2. Location map of the sampled points.

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 S. Ndao et al.

in situ (conductivity, pH, temperature). The process consisted of taking water

samples stored in 1.25 liter bottles for chemical analyzes in the laboratory. The
analyzes focused only on the major ions (Ca2 +, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, SO 24 − , NO3− ,
HCO3− ). The results obtained have enabled us to draw up a number of maps.

3. Results and Discussions

3.1. Study of the Physical Parameters
In this part, as [12] [13] [14] only physical parameters such as temperature, pH
and electrical conductivity are considered. The results of the analysis of the sam-
ples taken are very heterogeneous (Table 1).

3.1.1. Temperature
Temperature is one of the most determining factors in water chemistry. Indeed,
a high temperature promotes the development of microorganisms. In addition,
it can increase the taste, odor and color of water and worsen corrosion problems.
These organoleptic factors, although not causing significant health risks, at a
certain level, should be considered in chemical analyzes. The temperature mea-
surements of the sampled water vary from 23˚C to 32˚C (Table 1). Indeed, these
temperatures are close to room temperature. This highlights the open character
of the aquifer, and therefore its greater or lesser vulnerability to pollution from
the surface.

Table 1. Results of the physical analyzes of the waters of the island of Mar.

Name of samples Aquifer captured Group T ˚C pH CE in μs/cm

P1 Continental Terminal 1 28.5 6.55 3030

P2 Continental Terminal 2 32.5 7.36 525

P3 Continental Terminal 3 24.3 6.82 2730

P4 Continental Terminal 4 26.7 6.23 315

P5 Continental Terminal 5 28.5 6.4 3038

P6 Continental Terminal 6 32 7.32 529

P7 Continental Terminal 7 28 6.56 3034

P8 Continental Terminal 8 32.3 7.38 523

P9 Continental Terminal 9 31.5 7.34 526

P10 Continental Terminal 10 25.2 6.85 2729

P11 Continental Terminal 11 27 6.25 320

P12 Continental Terminal 12 26.2 6.24 317

P13 Continental Terminal 13 23 6.8 2728

P14 Continental Terminal 14 24.7 6.83 2727

P15 Continental Terminal 15 24.4 6.81 2729

Drilling Paleocene 16 29.9 8.26 5320

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S. Ndao et al.

In terms of health, too high temperatures promote the proliferation of tropical

germs while the strong mineralization can cause diarrhea [9].

3.1.2. The Hydrogen Potential (pH)

It is a parameter which reflects the balance between acid and base on a scale of 0
to 14 [15]; 7 being the neutral pH. It measures the concentration of H+ ion in
water. Although pH does not usually have direct consequences for the consum-
er, it is one of the most important operational parameters for water quality. For
drinking water, WHO recommends pH values between 6.5 to 8.5. The measured
pH values vary from 6.2 to 8.3 (Figure 3). Indeed, this range of values indicates
that the groundwater is acidic to neutral. These acidic pHs may be related to the
presence of sulphated soils in the area. The leaching of these soils by infiltration
of rainwater can be the cause of the drop in pH. The latter may also be due to the
dissociation of carbonic acid resulting from the diffusion in water of atmospher-
ic CO2 and that resulting from biological activity.

3.1.3. Conductivity
According to WHO, the quality limit for water intended for human consumption is
EC between 200 and 1100 µS/cm. Figure 4 shows the conductivities of the

Figure 3. Variation of pH values in the water sampled from the study area

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 S. Ndao et al.

Figure 4. Conductivity map of the sampled points.

sampled points varying from 316 to 5319.7 µS/cm. Indeed, the variations of the
EC are related to the modifications of the global mineralization. At Mar Lodj
and Mar Fafaco, the EC values of some wells are generally low and range be-
tween 316 and 871.9 µS/cm. These low EC values may be related to dilution by
infiltration of rainwater, resulting in the presence of fresh water. However, in the
drilling’s water and in certain sampled wells a strong high electrical conductivity
is noted which exceeds the limit 1100 µS/cm. This would be due to local conta-
mination by salt water [12].

3.2. Chemical Parameters

The results obtained after chemical analysis [14] of the major ions are as follows:

3.2.1. Sodium (Na+)

The sodium content ranges from 40.4 to 1683.9 mg/l (Figure 5). In fact, most of
the water sampled has sodium content higher than the standard accepted by the
WHO (200 mg/l). The most excessive concentrations are observed in the drilling
with a maximum value of 1683.9 mg/l. This high content could be explained by
the fact that it is located near the arm of the sea where there is a high salinity

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S. Ndao et al.

Figure 5. Map of sodium content (mg/l).

as confirmed by the electromagnetic conductivity map. A lack of Na+ can lead to

dehydration, muscle paralysis, reduced growth and general numbness [4].

3.2.2. Potassium (K+)

Throughout the entire study area, the potassium content varying from 9.0 to
45.8 mg/l (Figure 6) exceeds the WHO standard (12 mg/l) with the exception of
a few wells (P2, P4, P11, P12) where their potassium contents are lower than this
WHO required value. This high content could be explained by agricultural ef-
fluents.

3.2.3. Chlorides (Cl−)

The chloride distribution map (Figure 7) shows that the wells (P2, P4, P6, P8,
P9, P11, P12) have chloride contents ranging from 45.6 to 209.9 mg/l, less than
the WHO standard (250 mg/l) unlike the other remaining wells where the con-
centrations are well above 250 mg/l. The highest concentrations of Cl− are ob-
served in the drilling, which reaches 1524.4 mg/l. This high content could be

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 S. Ndao et al.

Figure 6. Map of potassium content (mg/l).

explained by a saline intrusion due to the proximity of the inlet. A concentration

more than 200 mg/l can be dangerous for patients with cardiovascular or renal
diseases [4] [6] [16].

3.2.4. Fluorine (F−)

Fluorine concentrations are generally low in all the wells at Mar Fafaco, Mar
Soulou and Mar Lodji varying from 0.05 to 1.4 mg/l and much lower than the
value accepted by the WHO which is equal to 1.5 mg/l. However, the fluorine
concentration in the drilling (at Mar Soulou) is much higher than the accepted
standard with a maximum value of 3.2 mg/l (Figure 8). Indeed, excess fluorine
in groundwater (concentration between 0.7 and 1.7 mg/l) causes dental fluorosis
due to hypermineralization of dental enamel induced by fluorine during the se-
cretory phase and maturation of phenomena leading to the formation of enamel.
This phenomenon occurs in an age group between 0 to 7 years old [4] [17].

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S. Ndao et al.

Figure 7. Map of Chloride concentration (mg/l).

3.2.5. Nitrate ( NO 3− )
The nitrate levels in groundwater vary from 1.6 to 63.9 mg/l (Figure 9). The
lowest values are located at the level of the borehole and part of Mar Fafaco while
in Mar Lodj, Mar Soulou and the other part of Mar Fafaco, the concentration is
high varying from 50.1 to 63.9 mg/l and exceeding the value recommended by the
WHO (50 mg/l). This high content could be due to the siting of wells near the sep-
tic tanks. In fact, the transformation of nitrates in the human body gives rise to ni-
trites which in turn are transformed into nitroamines which can be carcinogenic,
especially fatal for children [7] [12] [14] [16] [18] [19].

4. Conclusions
The aim of this article is to study the salinity of the groundwater of the island of
Mar. The study is allowed to characterize the hydraulic system from the hydro-
chemical point of view of the aquifer. For a better characterization of groundwa-
ter, we needed detailed, reliable and well-organized information on the state of

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 S. Ndao et al.

Figure 8. Map of the Fluorine concentration (mg/l).

the hydrogeological environment. With this in mind, this article has enabled us
to reproduce a series of spatial themes of maps. The Geographic Information
System (GIS), Geophysical methods are used as tools and methods well suited to
this mapping.
The geophysical profiles carried out in the drilling area have identified a high
conductivity of the aquifer according to geophysical surveys with the EM31 elec-
tromagnetic method. The sainity map produced using the Surfer software
showed that the conductivity exhibits an increasing gradient towards the South
and towards the West. We therefore have an increase in conductivities as we
progress towards the inlets.
With the hydrochemical study, we were able to carry out a physicochemical
characterization of the water and highlight the chemical facies and the various
processes which are at the origin of the mineralization of the water. The results
obtained after processing the data showed that the dominant waters in the study
area are sodium hyperchloride, sulphated chloride. The study on the quality of

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S. Ndao et al.

Figure 9. Map of nitrate concentration (mg/l).

the water sampled revealed that it did not comply with the quality benchmarks
for the majority of the structures. Water that is of poor quality for consumption
could be used for irrigation.
The study of the physicochemical parameters has shown that the groundwater
is slightly acidic to neutral with temperatures that reflect that of the ambient en-
vironment at the time of the measurements. This proves the proximity of the
water table, and therefore its vulnerability to pollution. Most of the water has
high conductivities which exceed the value allowed (1100 µS/cm) by the WHO.
Therefore, it must be remembered that the groundwater of the island of MAR
cannot be considered drinkable. And since the populations need good quality
water to survive, we suggest as an alternative to treat the water before any con-
sumption or to transfer water from areas where the water is deemed suitable by

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 S. Ndao et al.

the standards set by WHO. Doing such a study could be the subject of another
article.

Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this pa-
per.

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