Assessing seawater intrusion in the municipal committee area of Gwadar, Balochistan

The coastal aquifer of Gwadar city is exceptionally vulnerable to saltwater intrusion due to sea level rise and the combined effects of both anthropogenic and natural factors. Due to this reason, the current research aids in understanding the extent of saltwater intrusion and the role played by the associated factors. Thirty-five groundwater samples were collected from the bores and wells, and the water level at each sampling location was measured. The physicochemical parameters (TDS, EC) and pH of the groundwater were recorded in situ. Analytical findings indicate that the groundwater in the study area is typically brackish to saline. The salinity (EC) values of the groundwater are highly variable, rising from 760 to 18,350 μS/cm with an average of 6884 μS/cm, whereas the average pH was 7.1 and varied from 6.6 to 7.5. The salinity values nearest and farthest from the shores were 760 μS/cm and 11,650 μS/cm, and the average salinity during low (1.38) and high tide (1.46 m) were 3566 and 14,462 μS/cm, respectively. The average salinity of the groundwater samples with a relatively low elevation was 11,770 μS/cm. The recorded values of EC and TDS show the impact of salinization in the coastal aquifer of Municipal Committee Gwadar (MCG) because of saltwater intrusion.