## 14 Conclusions  
Hydrogeochemical analysis of the study area showed that, in January 2020, Na\({}^{+}\) was the dominant cation, followed by Ca\({}^{2+}\), K\({}^{+}\), and Mg\({}^{2+}\). In January 2021, the order of cation abundance was Na \(>\) Ca\({}^{2+}\)\(>\) Mg\({}^{2+}\)\(>\) K\({}^{+}\) in terms of the mean values. The order of dominance of anions in January 2020 was Cl\({}^{-}\)\(>\) HCO\({}_{3}\)\({}^{-}\)\(>\) SO\({}_{4}\)\({}^{2-}\)\(>\) NO\({}_{3}\)\({}^{-}\)\(>\) F\({}^{-}\), and that in January 2021 was Cl\({}^{-}\)\(>\) SO\({}_{4}\)\({}^{2-}\)\(>\) HCO\({}_{3}\)\({}^{-}\)\(>\) NO\({}_{3}\)\({}^{-}\)\(>\) F\({}^{-}\) with respect to the mean value. The spatial distribution pattern of the analytical results revealed that the southern coastal zone was highly affected by seawater intrusion and salinization due to the presence of saline rock formations. In some parts of the northern region, an increase in contaminants in the groundwater due to anthropogenic activities was also observed. Comparison of the groundwater analysis results with the drinking water quality guidelines showed that potable groundwater was present in more than 60% of the study area. Most of the calculated indices for irrigation water quality showed that 80% of the study area had water quality suitable for irrigation. The calculated irrigation water quality indices shown in the graphs Na% vs. EC, USSL, and Doneen's Permeability Index showed the quality of the irrigation water in the study area during both periods. The integrated DWQI and IRWQI results showed that nearly 50% and nearly 60% of the groundwater was suitable for both drinking and irrigation purposes. The combined diamond plot of the cationic and anionic triangular fields of the Piper diagram shows that 80% of the groundwater samples fell into the Na\({}^{+}\)-Cl\({}^{-}\), Ca\({}^{2+}\)-Mg\({}^{2+}\)-SO\({}_{4}\)\({}^{2-}\), and mixed Ca\({}^{2+}\)-Mg\({}^{2+}\)-Cl\({}^{-}\) types. This indicates that salinization due to the mixing of freshwater with seawater and enrichment of saline water from the aquifer increased the ion concentration of groundwater. The Gibb diagram showed that most of the groundwater samples fell within the range of rock-water interaction and evaporation, which mainly regulated the mixing of highly saline water. In the Chadha diagram, 80% of the samples were of the Ca\({}^{2+}\)-Mg\({}^{2+}\) type, followed by the Na\({}^{+}\)-Cl\({}^{-}\) type, which was due to the reverse ion exchange process and the intrusion of saline water. The scattering of Ca\({}^{2+}\), Mg\({}^{2+}\), HCO\({}_{3}\)\({}^{-}\), and SO\({}_{4}\)\({}^{2-}\) ions showed that the weathering of carbonate rocks and dissolution of minerals, such as calcium and gypsum, by the reverse ion exchange process increased these ions in groundwater. The Cl\({}^{-}\)/HCO\({}_{3}\)\({}^{-}\) ratio showed that more than 70% of the groundwater in the study area was in a slightly to moderately saline range, indicating salinization processes and seawater intrusion. The results of multivariate statistics showed the strong mutual association of all parameters, except for pH and F\({}^{-}\), several factors controlling the groundwater quality of the study area, and clustering of samples based on factors such as weathering, reverse ion exchange, and seawater intrusion. The HCA indicated that 67.5% of the samples in January 2020 and 60% of the samples in January 2021 were affected by salinization from seawater intrusion into the study area. The hydrogeochemistry of this region showed that groundwater was salinized by seawater, especially in coastal regions, and was unsuitable for both drinking water and irrigation. Some of the inland regions were affected by anthropogenic activities, such as salt pans and agriculture. The installation of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings and construction of artificial recharge structures in the contaminated areas can help to improve groundwater quality and make the water usable for various purposes.