Assessment of water quality of private dug wells in Hebron District using water quality index

Assessment of water quality of private dug wells in Hebron District using water quality index | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Assessment of water quality of private dug wells in Hebron District using water quality index Adel Salayma This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6396912/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract People in the West Bank of Palestine use groundwater, as the main source of water, representing almost 90% of the total water supply. Water quality index (WQI) is one of the most effective tools to communicate information on the quality of water to the concerned citizens and policy makers. Water quality index was used as a tool to assess water quality of the private dug wells in Hebron district. This study reveals that 2.7% of the tested wells have excellent water class, 14.7% has good class, 28% of wells were located in poor water quality class, and 25.3% were located in unfit for direct use class. Environmental Engineering Environmental Chemistry groundwater quality water quality index Hebron district Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Introduction Groundwater is about 20% of the world’s fresh water supply, which is about 0.61% of the entire world’s water; groundwater is formed, by seepage from the seas, oceans and water bodies and direct seepage of rain water into the ground (Chibuzo etal, 2014 ). In arid and semi-arid regions (like west bank of Palestine) the groundwater is the main source of water supply (Baghvand et al. 2010, Hosseinifard&Aminiyan2015), and approximately 50% of the urban population worldwide has been estimated to use groundwater (United Nations, 2022, Wang et al., 2023 ). Groundwater quality depends on soil formations, the chemical composition of the underlying rocks, and the length of time that the water body has been trapped underground (Faniran et al. 2004, Hosseinifard&Aminiyan2015). The quality of groundwater has been deteriorating because of shrinking water table, introduction of chemical compounds, bad industrial waste management practices, improper sanitation,, improper irrigation practices,, and by leachate produced by industrial waste disposed on land [Kumari & Rani, 2014 ]. The degree of groundwater pollution depends on the amount and types of waste disposed on land, hydrologic properties of the aquifer, recharge capacity of the area, climate, and rate of pumping out of water, the quality of groundwater must be checked from time to time in order to supply safe drinking water [Kumari & Rani, 2014 ]. Drinking contaminated groundwater has been reported to cause various health problems, such as diarrhea, cholera,, dysentery, and skin infections (Li and Wu, 2019, Wang et al., 2023 ). People in the West Bank of Palestine use groundwater as the main source of water, representing 90% of the total water supply, (Zohud and Alam 2022). In West Bank of Palestine, mainly in rural areas, the most important source of groundwater pollution are cesspits, where connection to the main sewerage network system is impossible (Zohud and Alam 2022). The groundwater in the West Bank is potable, but due to high nitrate concentration, excessive salinity and bacterial contamination, it considered not suitable for drinking (Zohud and Alam 2022). Water quality index is valuable tool to reflect the overall water quality status in a single term, it enables to know the suitability of water for human consumption, to compare water quality of different areas at certain water body, to provide a general assessment of the water quality, helpful for the selection of appropriate treatment technique, and to provide information on the quality of water to the concerned citizens and policy makers [Atulegwu and Njoku2004, Sahu and Skidar 2008, Guettaf etal, 2014 ,Kumari & Rani, 2014 , Hosseinifard&Aminiyan2015, Udom etal, 2016 ,and Wang et al., 2023 ]. Study Area Hebron district is located in the south of the West Bank. It is a mountainous area with an average height of800 m, Hebron district climate ranges from arid to semiarid with an increase in aridity towards the Negev Desert in the south and the Jordan Valley in the east. The monthly average temperature ranges from 7.5 to 10°C in winter to 22°C in summer. The minimum temperature is − 3°C in January and the maximum is 40°C in August. Most of the rainfalls are during December through February, although there may be rain from mid-October to the end of April. The number of rainfalls per month ranges between 400 mm during the rainfall season (Anabtawi etal, 2022 ). Methodology Groundwater quality data used in this study were obtained from the database of water quality laboratory of Hebron municipality from 14/10/2020 till 24/8/2022 with a total number of 53. No data were available about geographical distribution and depth of wells. The water quality index was calculated using Water Quality Index Calculator: Concentration to WQI ( https://sciph.info/water-quality-index-calculator-concentration-to-wqi/?_ga=2.18010105.1563190296.1692022213-1071520157.1692022213 ) .The parameters used in WQI calculation were PH, turbidity, TDS, hardness, sulfate, nitrate, alkalinity and total coliform. The effect of each parameter on WQI result was studied using different concentration of each parameter, and which concentration of each parameter that change the class of water quality index SPSS version 20 was used to analyze data Descriptive analysis ( min., max., and mean) Correlation coefficient between parameters and WQI. Frequencies of different parameters and WQI. Results and Discussion Descriptive statistics for all water quality parameters of private dug wells in Hebron district are shown in Table 1 ; the parameters include many variables, such as the minimum value (Min), maximum value (Max), mean, and standard deviation (SD). The percentage of each parameter that exceed Palestinian standards are shown in Table 2 . Table 2 Percentage of each parameter that exceeds WHO and Palestinian standards Parameter Palestinian Standards Parameters percentage of private dug well that exceed WHO and Palestinian standards Conductivity < 2000 3.8% TDS < 1000 43.4% Salinity < 1 3.8% Nitrate 50 35.8% Sulfate 250 0% Hardness 500 55% TC 0–3 92.5% FC 0 94.3% PH 6.5–8.5 1.9% Total alkalinity < 400 3.8% Turbidity < 5.0 24.5% From correlation coefficient values between WQI and water quality parameters, the most affecting factors for WQI values were Conductivity, TDS, Salinity, Total alkalinity, Nitrate, TC and FC (Table 3 ). Water quality index results in this study shows that 2.7% fall within excellent water quality class, 14.7% were located in good water quality class, On the other hand 28% of wells were located in poor water quality class, and 25.3% in unfit for direct use class (table 4) and Fig. 2 . Excellent water quality class could be used for drinking, irrigation and industrial uses, good water quality class could be used for domestic, irrigation, and industrial uses, poor water quality class could be used for irrigation and industrial uses, and water in unfit for direct use class will require proper treatment before use ( Atta etal, 2022 ). In excellent water class the concentration of these parameters when compared with World Health Organization (WHO, 2006) and that of Palestinian Standard for Drinking Water Quality were found to be below the standard limit, in good water class the concentration of the parameters were found to be within the standard limit, in poor water class the concentration of the parameters were found to be above the standard limit (Udom etal, 2016 ). A low value of WQI signifies excellent quality while a high value signifies poor quality. Parameters exceeding the permissible are considered responsible for high WQI value (Hyarat etal, 2022). Hyarat etal, 2022 in her study Assessment of groundwater quality using water quality index (WQI) and multivariate statistical analysis in Amman-Zarqa area/Jordan, reported that 12% of water samples lie in the ‘excellent’ category, 53% in the ‘good’ one, 31% in the ‘fair’ one, and the remaining 4% in the ‘poor’ category. The WQI rating places 10% of the pre-monsoon groundwater samples in the excellent category and 52% in the good water category for drinking. Just 5% of the groundwater samples were deemed hazardous for ingestion, as opposed to 23% of the samples having terrible water quality and 10% having poor water quality (Sivakumar,etal 2023 ) El Hammioui etal, 2024 in his study about assessing the groundwater quality in the Khenifra Province, Morocco reported that WQI results ranging from 55.24 to71 indicated that the groundwater quality in the study area was good throughout the study period without giving any percentage for these good results. El Baba etal 2020 in his study about Evaluation of the Groundwater Quality Using the Water Quality Index and Geostatistical Analysis in the Dier al-Balah Governorate, Gaza Strip, of Palestine reported WQI results as GIS map in years 2009 through 2014 of wells of different regions of Dier al-Balah Governorate without giving percentage of water quality index classes. Aish et al, 2023 in his study about Prediction of groundwater quality index in the Gaza coastal aquifer using supervised machine learning techniques reported that the results show that a total of 26,505, 964, 608, and 346 samples out of 2448 (1%, 21%, 39%, 25%and 14%) were classified into the groundwater categories of ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘poor', 'very poor’, and ‘unsuitable’, respectively. Karakuş, 2018 in his study Evaluation of groundwater quality in Sivas province (Turkey) using water quality index and GIS-based analytic hierarchy process, reported that WQI values in wet season were 56.25% of the water samples are rated as ‘excellent’, 35.41% are rated as ‘good’, 6.25% are rated as ‘bad’ and 2.08% are rated as ‘not suitable for drinking’ in terms of drinking water quality. In dry season 47.91% of the WQI values are rated as ‘excellent’, 29.16% are rated as ‘good’, 20.83% are rated as ‘bad’ and 2.08% are rated as ‘not suitable for drinking. To study the effect of concentration of each parameter on WQI value, WQI value was calculated against different concentration of each parameter and T test was used to check if the change in WQI value is significant or not depending on p value of each test and to find which concentration of the parameter that change the class of WQI. All the changes in WQI values due to changes in parameter concentrations are significant (2 tailed significance values is less than 0.05) even the change in the concentration itself is not significant for TDS, nitrate, total alkalinity, and total coliform (Table 5 ). The concentration of hardness that change the class of WQI from excellent to good is 200 mg/l, the change of concentration of sulfate from 1mg/l till 200mg/l doesn't change the class of WQI but still in good class, TDS concentration of 100 mg/l change the class from excellent to good, lowering PH below 7.0 increase WQI and increasing over 7.0 will increase WQI value. Increase in turbidity lead to increase in WQI but still in the same class till 10 NTU. The high value of the water quality index (WQI) was due to high values of Iron, phosphate, pH and electrical conductivity (Udom etal, 2016 ). Table 5 P value for T test of each parameter concentration change used to calculate WQI. Parameter P values for parameters P values for WQI TDS 0.198 0.004 Nitrate 0.064 0.000 Sulfate 0.012 0.000 Hardness 0.020 0.000 Total Coliform 0.072 0.012 PH 0.000 0.000 Total alkalinity 0.117 0.001 Turbidity 0.048 0.006 Conclusion This study found that only 17.4% of private dug well in Hebron district is suitable for drinking ( excellent and good classes),28% of dug wells have poor and very poor water quality which could be used for irrigation and industrial uses while 25.3% were unfit for uses before proper treatment method. Recommendation All water produced from private dug wells should be tested before using it for drinking and food preparation. Declarations Acknowledgment The author greatly thanks Hebron municipality water quality laboratory for providing the data for dug wells testing results and to MR. Mohamad Burqan, security GIS unit, Al-Istiqlal university, Jericho - Palestine for providing Hebron district map. References Abdul Hameed M., Alobaidy,J Haider S., , Bahram.A,Maulood.K (2010), Application of Water Quality Index for Assessment of Dokan Lake Ecosystem, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 2, 792-798. Aish.A.M, Zaqoot.H.A. , Sethar.W.A and Aish.D.A(2023), Prediction of groundwater quality index in the Gaza coastal aquifer using supervised machine learning techniques, Water Practice & Technology Vol 00 No 0, 1 doi: 10.2166/wpt.2023.028. Anabtawi, F.; Mahmoud, N.; Al-Khatib, I.A.; Hung, Y.-T. Heavy Metals in Harvested Rainwater Used for Domestic Purposes in Rural Areas: Yatta Area, Palestine as a Case Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 2683. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph19052683. Anthony Chibuzo, Ekeleme1* ,Boniface C. Okoro , Ogedi Hippolitus, Ibearugbulem.Ethelbert Chukwunonye Nwadike, Agatha.Chima, Egedigwe(2014) Assessment of Groundwater Quality in Selected Areas in Imo State in South Eastern Nigeria, Journal of Environment and Earth Science, Vol.4, No.9, Atta, H.S., Omar, M.AS. & Tawfik, A.M. Water quality index for assessment of drinking groundwater purpose case study: area surrounding Ismailia Canal, Egypt. J. Eng. Appl. Sci. 69, 83 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s44147-022-00138-9. El Baba.M , Kayastha.P, Huysmans.M and De Smedt.F,(2020), Evaluation of the Groundwater Quality Using the Water Quality Index and Geostatistical Analysis in the Dier al-Balah Governorate, Gaza Strip, Palestine, Water 2020, 12, 262; doi:10.3390/w12010262. El Hammioui.Y, Belghiti.M.L, Boutagayout.A, Hili.A, El Boute.S, Hilali.A, Azzirgue.E, Abba.E,(2024) Assessing the groundwater quality in the Khenifra Province, Morocco, Mediterranean Geoscience Reviews https://doi.org/10.1007/s42990-024-00141-7. Guettaf.M, . Maoui,A. Ihdene.Z(2014), Assessment of water quality: a case study of the Seybouse River (North East of Algeria), Appl Water Sci DOI 10.1007/s13201-014-0245-z. Hyarat.T, Al Kuisi,M, and Saffarini,G(2022), Assessment of groundwater quality using water quality index (WQI) and multivariate statistical analysis in Amman-Zarqa area/Jordan, Water Practice & Technology Vol 17 No 8, 1582 doi: 10.2166/wpt.2022.076. Hosseinifard,S,J and Aminiyan,M.M(2015) Hydrochemical Characterization of Groundwater Quality for Drinking and Agricultural Purposes: A Case Study in Rafsanjan Plain, Iran, Water Qual Expo Health (2015) 7:531–544. Karakuş.C.B,(2018), Evaluation of groundwater quality in Sivas province (Turkey) using water quality index and GIS-based analytic hierarchy process, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2018.1551521. Kumari,S and Rani,J,(2014) ASSESSMENT OFWATER QUALITY INDEX OF GROUND WATER IN SMALKHAN, HARYANA, International Journal of Latest Research in Science and Technology. Volume 3, Issue 6: Page No.169-172, Sivakumar, V.;Ramamoorthy, V.L.; Muthaiyan,U.M.; Kaliyappan, S.; Ravindiran, G.;Shanmugam, S.; Velusamy, P.;Natarajan, L.; Almohamad, H.;Al-Mutiry, M.; et al.(2023) Assessing Groundwater Quality for Sustainable Drinking and Irrigation: A GIS-Based Hydro-Chemical and Health Risk Study in Kovilpatti Taluk, Tamil Nadu. Water 2023, 15, 3916. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15223916. Udom, G.J, Nwankwoala, H.O and Daniel, T.E (2016), DETERMINATION OF WATER QUALITY INDEX OF SHALLOW QUATERNARY AQUIFER SYSTEMS IN OGBIA, BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA, British Journal of Earth Sciences Research Vol.4, No.1, pp.23-37. Wang X, Tian Y and Liu C (2023),Assessment of groundwater quality in a highly urbanized coastal city using water quality index model and Bayesian model averaging.Front. Environ. Sci. 11:1086300. Zohud, A.; Alam, L. A Review of Groundwater Contamination in West Bank, Palestine: Quality, Sources, Risks,and Management. Water 2022, 14,3417. https://doi.org/10.3390/ w14213417. Tables Tables 1, 3 and 4 are available in the Supplementary Files section. Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files Tables.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6396912","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":439708580,"identity":"9b473e92-028d-484f-b8b7-a88ec2c131f4","order_by":0,"name":"Adel Salayma","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA+0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFCCBMYDDAwWIBYbwwcglxgtDEAtEmAtjDNI1sLMQ4wW/vbkAwd/1EjIG1w7fOyxbZtdHj97A+OHjzm4tUiceZZwmOeYhOGG22npxrltycWSPQeYJWduw2PNjRyDwwxsEowbbueYSee2MSduuJHAxsyLR4v8jfwPB3/8k7DfcDv/m7RlWz1hLQY3chgO8LZJJAJtYZNmbDtMWIvhmWcGh3n7JJJn3k4zk+w5dzxxZs/BZrx+kTue/PDhj282tn23k59J/CirTuxnbz744SM+78OAwgEgwcgGYjI2EKEeCOTB6v4Qp3gUjIJRMApGFgAA5P1bLRbRuosAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Zamzam Medical Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Adel","middleName":"","lastName":"Salayma","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-07 18:58:24","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":true,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6396912/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6396912/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":80199438,"identity":"5716e9e0-e539-4350-a322-0690bf550d58","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-09 06:27:39","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":334825,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003estudy area map (source: security GIS unit, Al-Istiqlal university, Jericho- Palestine.).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6396912/v1/64764c71ca4c2ef6486c504a.png"},{"id":80200900,"identity":"cd4b75bb-b61c-4afd-a935-5953a685b345","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-09 06:43:39","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":64458,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePie figure illustrate percentage of different classes of water quality index at Hebron district - Palestine\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6396912/v1/da46e1b67529d82d6f2a7b7b.png"},{"id":80199433,"identity":"6f460157-decb-458b-b7b1-ee20f6f0ebbe","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-09 06:27:39","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":20949,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eWQI results of private dug wells of Hebron district.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6396912/v1/f377d688e92bee03bbd5c524.png"},{"id":80200903,"identity":"518255ed-9ab6-44a4-9e4c-2765e6903aca","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-09 06:43:44","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":763610,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6396912/v1/a55b6d09-9d5e-418c-a34f-64119755fc6a.pdf"},{"id":80199436,"identity":"ab562c6e-d0a7-4686-b84e-8fcac297346c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-09 06:27:39","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":124149,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Tables.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6396912/v1/2d306e187b5c8a9ff89e8a8d.docx"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eAssessment of water quality of private dug wells in Hebron District using water quality index\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eGroundwater is about 20% of the world\u0026rsquo;s fresh water supply, which is about 0.61% of the entire world\u0026rsquo;s water; groundwater is formed, by seepage from the seas, oceans and water bodies and direct seepage of rain water into the ground (Chibuzo etal, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn arid and semi-arid regions (like west bank of Palestine) the groundwater is the main source of water supply (Baghvand et al. 2010, Hosseinifard\u0026amp;Aminiyan2015), and approximately 50% of the urban population worldwide has been estimated to use groundwater (United Nations, 2022, Wang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGroundwater quality depends on soil formations, the chemical composition of the underlying rocks, and the length of time that the water body has been trapped underground (Faniran et al. 2004, Hosseinifard\u0026amp;Aminiyan2015).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe quality of groundwater has been deteriorating because of shrinking water table, introduction of chemical compounds, bad industrial waste management practices, improper sanitation,, improper irrigation practices,, and by leachate produced by industrial waste disposed on land [Kumari \u0026amp; Rani, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe degree of groundwater pollution depends on the amount and types of waste disposed on land, hydrologic properties of the aquifer, recharge capacity of the area, climate, and rate of pumping out of water, the quality of groundwater must be checked from time to time in order to supply safe drinking water [Kumari \u0026amp; Rani, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDrinking contaminated groundwater has been reported to cause various health problems, such as diarrhea, cholera,, dysentery, and skin infections (Li and Wu, 2019, Wang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeople in the West Bank of Palestine use groundwater as the main source of water, representing 90% of the total water supply, (Zohud and Alam 2022).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn West Bank of Palestine, mainly in rural areas, the most important source of groundwater pollution are cesspits, where connection to the main sewerage network system is impossible (Zohud and Alam 2022).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe groundwater in the West Bank is potable, but due to high nitrate concentration, excessive salinity and bacterial contamination, it considered not suitable for drinking (Zohud and Alam 2022).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWater quality index is valuable tool to reflect the overall water quality status in a single term, it enables to know the suitability of water for human consumption, to compare water quality of different areas at certain water body, to provide a general assessment of the water quality, helpful for the selection of appropriate treatment technique, and to provide information on the quality of water to the concerned citizens and policy makers [Atulegwu and Njoku2004, Sahu and Skidar 2008, Guettaf etal, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e,Kumari \u0026amp; Rani, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e, Hosseinifard\u0026amp;Aminiyan2015, Udom etal, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e,and Wang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eStudy Area\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHebron district is located in the south of the West Bank. It is a mountainous area with an average height of800 m, Hebron district climate ranges from arid to semiarid with an increase in aridity towards the Negev Desert in the south and the Jordan Valley in the east. The monthly average temperature ranges from 7.5 to 10\u0026deg;C in winter to 22\u0026deg;C in summer. The minimum temperature is \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;3\u0026deg;C in January and the maximum is 40\u0026deg;C in August. Most of the rainfalls are during December through February, although there may be rain from mid-October to the end of April. The number of rainfalls per month ranges between 400 mm during the rainfall season (Anabtawi etal, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"Methodology","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGroundwater quality data used in this study were obtained from the database of water quality laboratory of Hebron municipality from 14/10/2020 till 24/8/2022 with a total number of 53. No data were available about geographical distribution and depth of wells.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe water quality index was calculated using Water Quality Index Calculator: Concentration to WQI (\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://sciph.info/water-quality-index-calculator-concentration-to-wqi/?_ga=2.18010105.1563190296.1692022213-1071520157.1692022213\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e) .The parameters used in WQI calculation were PH, turbidity, TDS, hardness, sulfate, nitrate, alkalinity and total coliform.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe effect of each parameter on WQI result was studied using different concentration of each parameter, and which concentration of each parameter that change the class of water quality index\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSPSS version 20 was used to analyze data\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDescriptive analysis ( min., max., and mean)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCorrelation coefficient between parameters and WQI.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFrequencies of different parameters and WQI.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results and Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eDescriptive statistics for all water quality parameters of private dug wells in Hebron district are shown in Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e; the parameters include many variables, such as the minimum value (Min), maximum value (Max), mean, and standard deviation (SD).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe percentage of each parameter that exceed Palestinian standards are shown in Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePercentage of each parameter that exceeds WHO and Palestinian standards\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eParameter\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePalestinian Standards\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eParameters percentage of private dug well that exceed WHO and Palestinian standards\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eConductivity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;2000\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.8%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTDS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;1000\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43.4%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSalinity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.8%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNitrate\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e35.8%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSulfate\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e250\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHardness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e500\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u0026ndash;3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e92.5%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e94.3%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePH\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.5\u0026ndash;8.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.9%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal alkalinity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;400\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.8%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTurbidity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;5.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24.5%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom correlation coefficient values between WQI and water quality parameters, the most affecting factors for WQI values were Conductivity, TDS, Salinity, Total alkalinity, Nitrate, TC and FC (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWater quality index results in this study shows that 2.7% fall within excellent water quality class, 14.7% were located in good water quality class, On the other hand 28% of wells were located in poor water quality class, and 25.3% in unfit for direct use class (table 4) and Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExcellent water quality class could be used for drinking, irrigation and industrial uses, good water quality class could be used for domestic, irrigation, and industrial uses, poor water quality class could be used for irrigation and industrial uses, and water in unfit for direct use class will require proper treatment before use ( Atta etal, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn excellent water class the concentration of these parameters when compared with World Health Organization (WHO, 2006) and that of Palestinian Standard for Drinking Water Quality were found to be below the standard limit, in good water class the concentration of the parameters were found to be within the standard limit, in poor water class the concentration of the parameters were found to be above the standard limit (Udom etal, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA low value of WQI signifies excellent quality while a high value signifies poor quality. Parameters exceeding the permissible are considered responsible for high WQI value (Hyarat etal, 2022).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHyarat etal, 2022 in her study Assessment of groundwater quality using water quality index (WQI) and multivariate statistical analysis in Amman-Zarqa area/Jordan, reported that 12% of water samples lie in the \u0026lsquo;excellent\u0026rsquo; category, 53% in the \u0026lsquo;good\u0026rsquo; one, 31% in the \u0026lsquo;fair\u0026rsquo; one, and the remaining 4% in the \u0026lsquo;poor\u0026rsquo; category.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe WQI rating places 10% of the pre-monsoon groundwater samples in the excellent category and 52% in the good water category for drinking. Just 5% of the groundwater samples were deemed hazardous for ingestion, as opposed to 23% of the samples having terrible water quality and 10% having poor water quality (Sivakumar,etal \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEl Hammioui etal, 2024 in his study about assessing the groundwater quality in the Khenifra Province, Morocco reported that WQI results ranging from 55.24 to71 indicated that the groundwater quality in the study area was good throughout the study period without giving any percentage for these good results.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEl Baba etal \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e in his study about Evaluation of the Groundwater Quality Using the Water Quality Index and Geostatistical Analysis in the Dier al-Balah Governorate, Gaza Strip, of Palestine reported WQI results as GIS map in years 2009 through 2014 of wells of different regions of Dier al-Balah Governorate without giving percentage of water quality index classes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAish et al, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e in his study about Prediction of groundwater quality index in the Gaza coastal aquifer using supervised machine learning techniques reported that the results show that a total of 26,505, 964, 608, and 346 samples out of 2448 (1%, 21%, 39%, 25%and 14%) were classified into the groundwater categories of \u0026lsquo;excellent\u0026rsquo;, \u0026lsquo;good\u0026rsquo;, \u0026lsquo;poor\u0026apos;, \u0026apos;very poor\u0026rsquo;, and \u0026lsquo;unsuitable\u0026rsquo;, respectively.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKarakuş, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e in his study Evaluation of groundwater quality in Sivas province (Turkey) using water quality index and GIS-based analytic hierarchy process, reported that WQI values in wet season were 56.25% of the water samples are rated as \u0026lsquo;excellent\u0026rsquo;, 35.41% are rated as \u0026lsquo;good\u0026rsquo;, 6.25% are rated as \u0026lsquo;bad\u0026rsquo; and 2.08% are rated as \u0026lsquo;not suitable for drinking\u0026rsquo; in terms of drinking water quality. In dry season 47.91% of the WQI values are rated as \u0026lsquo;excellent\u0026rsquo;, 29.16% are rated as \u0026lsquo;good\u0026rsquo;, 20.83% are rated as \u0026lsquo;bad\u0026rsquo; and 2.08% are rated as \u0026lsquo;not suitable for drinking.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo study the effect of concentration of each parameter on WQI value, WQI value was calculated against different concentration of each parameter and T test was used to check if the change in WQI value is significant or not depending on p value of each test and to find which concentration of the parameter that change the class of WQI.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll the changes in WQI values due to changes in parameter concentrations are significant (2 tailed significance values is less than 0.05) even the change in the concentration itself is not significant for TDS, nitrate, total alkalinity, and total coliform (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe concentration of hardness that change the class of WQI from excellent to good is 200 mg/l, the change of concentration of sulfate from 1mg/l till 200mg/l doesn\u0026apos;t change the class of WQI but still in good class, TDS concentration of 100 mg/l change the class from excellent to good, lowering PH below 7.0 increase WQI and increasing over 7.0 will increase WQI value.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIncrease in turbidity lead to increase in WQI but still in the same class till 10 NTU.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe high value of the water quality index (WQI) was due to high values of Iron, phosphate, pH and electrical conductivity (Udom etal, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eP value for T test of each parameter concentration change used to calculate WQI.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eParameter\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eP values for parameters\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eP values for WQI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTDS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.198\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.004\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNitrate\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.064\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSulfate\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.012\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHardness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.020\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal Coliform\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.072\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.012\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePH\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal alkalinity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.117\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTurbidity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.048\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.006\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study found that only 17.4% of private dug well in Hebron district is suitable for drinking ( excellent and good classes),28% of dug wells have poor and very poor water quality which could be used for irrigation and industrial uses while 25.3% were unfit for uses before proper treatment method.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Recommendation","content":"\u003cp\u003eAll water produced from private dug wells should be tested before using it for drinking and food preparation.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgment\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author greatly thanks Hebron municipality water quality laboratory for providing the data for dug wells testing results and to MR. Mohamad Burqan, security GIS unit, Al-Istiqlal university, Jericho - Palestine for providing Hebron district map.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbdul Hameed M., Alobaidy,J Haider S., , Bahram.A,Maulood.K (2010), Application of Water Quality Index for Assessment of Dokan Lake Ecosystem, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 2, 792-798.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAish.A.M, Zaqoot.H.A. , Sethar.W.A and Aish.D.A(2023), Prediction of groundwater quality index in the Gaza coastal aquifer using supervised machine learning techniques, Water Practice \u0026amp; Technology Vol 00 No 0, 1 doi: 10.2166/wpt.2023.028.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnabtawi, F.; Mahmoud, N.; Al-Khatib, I.A.; Hung, Y.-T. Heavy Metals in Harvested Rainwater Used for Domestic Purposes in Rural Areas: Yatta Area, Palestine as a Case Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. 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Ihdene.Z(2014), Assessment of water quality: a case study of the Seybouse River (North East of Algeria), Appl Water Sci DOI 10.1007/s13201-014-0245-z.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHyarat.T, Al Kuisi,M, and Saffarini,G(2022), Assessment of groundwater quality using water quality index (WQI) and multivariate statistical analysis in Amman-Zarqa area/Jordan, Water Practice \u0026amp; Technology Vol 17 No 8, 1582 doi: 10.2166/wpt.2022.076.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHosseinifard,S,J and Aminiyan,M.M(2015) Hydrochemical Characterization of Groundwater Quality for Drinking and Agricultural Purposes: A Case Study in Rafsanjan Plain, Iran, Water Qual Expo Health (2015) 7:531–544.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKarakuş.C.B,(2018), Evaluation of groundwater quality in Sivas province (Turkey) using water quality index and GIS-based analytic hierarchy process, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2018.1551521.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKumari,S and Rani,J,(2014) ASSESSMENT OFWATER QUALITY INDEX OF GROUND WATER IN SMALKHAN, HARYANA, International Journal of Latest Research in Science and Technology. Volume 3, Issue 6: Page No.169-172,\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSivakumar, V.;Ramamoorthy, V.L.; Muthaiyan,U.M.; Kaliyappan, S.; Ravindiran, G.;Shanmugam, S.; Velusamy, P.;Natarajan, L.; Almohamad, H.;Al-Mutiry, M.; et al.(2023) Assessing Groundwater Quality for Sustainable Drinking and Irrigation: A GIS-Based Hydro-Chemical and Health Risk Study in Kovilpatti Taluk, Tamil Nadu. Water 2023, 15, 3916. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15223916.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUdom, G.J, Nwankwoala, H.O and Daniel, T.E (2016), DETERMINATION OF WATER QUALITY INDEX OF SHALLOW QUATERNARY AQUIFER SYSTEMS IN OGBIA, BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA, British Journal of Earth Sciences Research Vol.4, No.1, pp.23-37.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWang X, Tian Y and Liu C (2023),Assessment of groundwater quality in a highly urbanized coastal city using water quality index model and Bayesian model averaging.Front. Environ. Sci. 11:1086300.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZohud, A.; Alam, L. A Review of Groundwater Contamination in West Bank, Palestine: Quality, Sources, Risks,and Management. Water 2022, 14,3417. https://doi.org/10.3390/ w14213417.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Tables","content":"\u003cp\u003eTables 1, 3 and 4 are available in the Supplementary Files section.\u003c/p\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"groundwater quality, water quality index, Hebron district","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6396912/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6396912/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003ePeople in the West Bank of Palestine use groundwater, as the main source of water, representing almost 90% of the total water supply. Water quality index (WQI) is one of the most effective tools to communicate information on the quality of water to the concerned citizens and policy makers. Water quality index was used as a tool to assess water quality of the private dug wells in Hebron district. This study reveals that 2.7% of the tested wells have excellent water class, 14.7% has good class, 28% of wells were located in poor water quality class, and 25.3% were located in unfit for direct use class.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Assessment of water quality of private dug wells in Hebron District using water quality index","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-04-09 06:27:34","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6396912/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"3dffc63a-754d-4514-9c02-3600ca5778c9","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 9th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":46812039,"name":"Environmental Engineering"},{"id":46812040,"name":"Environmental Chemistry"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-04-09T06:27:35+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-04-09 06:27:34","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6396912","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6396912","identity":"rs-6396912","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}