Major cations such as Ca2+ and Mg2+ were analyzed by titration method, Na+ and K+ by flame photometer 128 (Systronics), chloride by titration method and NO3 −, F−, SO4 2− by spectrophotometer (Spectronic 21 D).
Being a major cation, Mg availability is related to the soil CEC, and it is in competition with other major cations such as calcium (Ca++), potassium (K+), sodium (Na+), ammonium (NH4+), iron (Fe++), and aluminum (Al+++).
The physicochemical parameters such as pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total hardness, total dissolved solids, major cations such as Ca2+, Mg2+, and iron, major anion such as Cl− were determined.
All the samples were analyzed for various physical and chemical parameters according to standard methods: this includes pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness, and total alkalinity, major cations such as Ca2+, Mg2+, and Fe2+, major anions such as NO3−, Cl−, and SO42− and heavy metals such as Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn.
The water samples collected in the field were analysed for electrical conductivity (EC), pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), major cations such as calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium, and anions such as bicarbonate, carbonate, chloride, fluoride and sulphate, adopting the standard methods (Hem 1985; Raghunath 1987; APHA 2012).
The physicochemical parameters such as total dissolved solids (TDS), total alkalinity (TA), total hardness (TH), major cations such as calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+), major anion such as chlorides (Cl−) of the leachate and groundwater samples were analyzed by titrimetric methods.
Major cations such as Ca and Mg were analysed by titrimetry, Na and K by flame photometer (Elico CL 378), major anions Cl and HCO3 by titrimetry, and SO4, PO4 and H4SiO4 by spectrophotometer (SL 171 minispec).
The chemical composition of the groundwater is characterized by major cations and anions such as Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, SO42−, CO3−, HCO3− and NO3.
Major cations and anions such as Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Cl−, CO3 2−, HCO3 − and SO4 2− were plotted in Piper's trilinear diagram (Piper 1944) to assess the hydrochemistry of drinking water resources (Fig. 2).
The major cations and anions such as Na+, K+, Ca+2, Mg+2, HCO3−, and SO 4 −2 were measured during summer and winter season as shown in Tables 1 and 2. It is clear that the concentration of Na+, Ca+2, HCO3−, and SO 4 −2 remained dominant in the Shatt Al-Arab River during dry and WS.
Forty groundwater samples were analysed for major cations, anions and other parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), total alkalinity and total hardness (TH).
