Salinity Impacts on Groundwater Quality and Public Health

Groundwater salinisation, driven by natural processes such as rock weathering and seawater intrusion, and exacerbated by human activities including excessive abstraction and irrigation return flow, poses a growing threat to water security worldwide. Elevated concentrations of sodium, chloride and other dissolved salts impair potability by raising electrical conductivity and altering water chemistry, leading to increased corrosivity, infrastructure damage and reduced agricultural productivity. From arid interiors to coastal plains and small island states, communities reliant on saline-affected aquifers face heightened risks of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, maternal complications and infant morbidity. Understanding the hydrogeochemical pathways and spatial distribution of salinity, and integrating these insights with public health data, is essential for designing effective monitoring programmes, guiding treatment technologies such as managed aquifer recharge and desalination, and informing policy interventions to safeguard vulnerable populations.

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Salinity Impacts on Groundwater Quality and Public Health publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in salinity impacts on groundwater quality and public health across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Electrical conductivity: a measure of water’s ability to conduct electric current, indicative of total dissolved salts.

Cation exchange: a process by which positively charged ions in water are exchanged with ions on mineral surfaces, affecting salt composition.

Managed aquifer recharge: the deliberate infiltration or injection of water into an aquifer to replenish groundwater and dilute salinity.

Hydrogeochemistry: the study of chemical characteristics and processes governing water–rock interactions in aquifers.

DPSIR framework: an analytical model outlining Drivers, Pressures, States, Impacts and Responses to environmental change.

References

1. Groundwater salinity in the Horn of Africa: Spatial prediction modeling and estimated people at risk. Environment International (2023).
2. The origin and water quality of spring systems in Monchique, Portugal: A focus on Long-Term sustainability and elevated sodium levels. Journal of Hydrology (2024).
3. Impacts of Salinity Intrusion in Community Health: A Review of Experiences on Drinking Water Sodium from Coastal Areas of Bangladesh. Healthcare (2019).