Assessment of the metal contamination index in groundwater of the quaternary of the Middle Kert Basin, north-eastern Morocco

The purpose of this study is to highlight the quality of groundwater, with a special focus on the level of heavy metal contamination. To know the extent of this contamination, the protection and proper management of the groundwater resource is indispensable. The present work is in line with the metallic assessment of the water quality of the Oued Kert basin (Mediterranean area, Driouch province, eastern Morocco) by collecting 46 samples following ISO 5665 standard and tested pH, TDS, EC. Samples were analyzed for Heavy Metals with ICP-MS and Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (Pb, Cu, Hg, Al, Fe, Zn, Cr, Cd, and Ni) to detect heavy metal content. The interpretation of the analytical data, about the phenomena responsible for mineralization, was done using the hydro-chemical classification, resulting from the integrated HPI approach, in addition to the statistical analysis of the data by the analysis of the main PCA components. The majority of the samples were found to be within limits, except for Fe, at some sampling locations, which is above the desirable limit, that is, 300 μg/L according to the Moroccan Drinking Water Standard. This indicates natural and anthropic effects. It shows that the groundwater to the northwest of the study area is probably affected by the leaching of heavy metals from the previous Mhajer mine.