Amjad Aliewi

Higher sulfate concentration in Kuwait’s irrigation water poses serious risks to plant health, as many crops have limited tolerance for such high levels. The study is the first attempt in Kuwait to address the elevated sulfate concentrations in the clastic aquifer of northern Kuwait through numerical modeling and geochemical techniques. The geochemical analytical results reveal that groundwater in northern Kuwait is alkaline, with ion abundances in the order of Na⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > K⁺ and Cl⁻ > SO₄²⁻ > NO₃⁻ > HCO₃⁻. Sulfate concentrations range from 1200 to 3865 mg/L, with the highest levels found in areas near agricultural zones, raising concerns about the viability of this groundwater for consumption and irrigation without treatment. A likely impact of anthropogenic influence due to the application of fertilizers is observed due to the good correlation between NO₃⁻ and SO₄²⁻. Sulfide oxidation and sulfate mineral weathering also increase the concentration of SO₄²⁻ ions in groundwater. Apart from oxidation, the inferences from geochmical modeling indicate dissolution as due to the undersaturation states of major sulfate minerals (gypsum/anhydrite). Numerical simulations further confirmed that the groundwater chemistry is driven by mineral dissolution, ion exchange, and anthropogenic influences, with key calibrated parameters including a longitudinal dispersivity of 10 m, an adsorption coefficient of 1 × 10⁻⁶ [1/(mg/L)], and a chemical reaction rate of 5 × 10⁻⁵ [1/day]. These findings underscore the critical need to manage sulfate levels in the aquifer to prevent adverse effects on water quality and usability, offering essential guidance for developing sustainable water management practices in northern Kuwait.

The water situation in arid environments is fragile because of climate change, population growth, economic development, irrational behavior in consumption patterns, and water pollution, which in their entirety threaten water security for such environments. The Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) (a planning software) was used to assess the actual (2000–2023) water supply sustainability with realistic annual growth rates to project (2024–2035) water demands for Kuwait's water future. The actual total water supply was found to be 1,375 Mm3/yr, of which 44% was for domestic, 5% for industrial, and 51% for agricultural water uses. It was also found that the per capita consumption for domestic and industrial purposes was 214 m3/yr. Suitable growth rates were as follows: 2, 1.5, and 1% for domestic, industrial, and agricultural sectors, respectively. This will result in water shortage of 235 Mm3/yr during the period 2024–2035. Kuwait is called to implement strategic solutions to fully reuse treated wastewater and the virtual water concept for agricultural development purposes. This study demonstrates that when Kuwait implements these solutions, it can reduce CO2 emissions by 1.175 million tons saving $573 million annually. With the proper measures and policies, Kuwait can reduce their bulk water demand by 235 million cubic meters saving $1.15 billion dollars per year.

The water situation in arid environments (with Kuwait as a case study) is fragile due to climate change; population growth; economic development; urbanization; irrational behaviors in consumption patterns; and water pollution which in their entirety threaten water security for such environments. The integrated water resources planning software (WEAP) was used to assess the actual water supply sustainability for Kuwait for 2000 to 2023 period. Then WEAP was used with realistic annual growth rates to project water demands over 2024 to 2035 in order to assess a suitable socio-economic future for Kuwait’s water supply sustainability. On average, the actual total water supply was found to 1,375 Mm³/yr disaggregated for domestic, industrial and agricultural sectors as 603 (44%), 75 (5%) and 697 (51%) Mm³/yr respectively. It was also found that each capita consumes for domestic and industrial purposes 214 m³/yr. It was found that annual growth rates of 2%, 2% and 3% are suitable to be used to project water requirements (demands) between 2024 and 2035 for domestic, industrial and agricultural sectors respectively. This will result in water shortage of 332 Mm³/yr during the period 2024 to 2035. Kuwait is called to implement strategic solutions of full reuse of treated wastewater and the virtual water concept for agricultural development purposes. This study demonstrates that when Kuwait implements these solutions, it can reduce CO₂ emissions by 1.66 million tons saving $810 million annually. With the proper measures and policies, Kuwait can reduce their bulk water demand by 332 million cubic meters saving $1.627 billion dollars per year.