applied sciences  
Chemical Quality and Hydrogeological Settings of the El-Farafra Oasis (Western Desert of Egypt) Groundwater Resources in Relation to Human Uses  
[PERSON] 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,12,14,19,16,17,18,19,19,17,19,18,19,19,19,17,18,19,19,19,19,17,1  
reservoirs is insufficient, groundwater is important for preserving the global ecosystem and supporting human demands for drinking purposes and farming practices in mid-latitude dry and semiarid regions [3]. Groundwater demand is rapidly rising in line with population growth, and climate change is putting further pressure on water resources and raising the risk of extreme drought incidence [4; 5]. Groundwater flow systems are affected by climate change in a variety of ways [1; 6]. Climate change can influence direct recharge to groundwater by modifying the proportion of surface runoff concerning infiltration. Furthermore, rising temperatures increase evaporative demand over land, limiting the quantity of water available to direct recharge [7]. Anthropogenic effects on groundwater resources are mostly attributable to groundwater extraction, as well as to indirect effects via irrigation and land-use changes [8]. However, groundwater flow systems have proved to be outstandingly resilient to natural climate change, as demonstrated by fossil aquifers throughout the planet, nowadays discharging in an arid environment and replenished in pluvial conditions, no more active nowadays [9]. Egypt's conventional water is supplied by the Nile River, accounting for 93% of the country's water demand and supplying roughly 55.5 km\({}^{3}\) of water annually. Egypt's annual water demand stands at 81.3 km\({}^{3}\), with agriculture consuming 86%, industry using 2.5%, and households using 11.5% [10; 11; 12]. There is a huge gap between the water demand and availability, which is fulfilled by the exploitation of aquifers and wastewater [13; 14]. Another difficulty faced by Egypt's water resources system is the unpredictability of climate change effects [13]. Egypt is also confronted with significant issues as a result of its limited water supplies and continuously increasing population. Water use per capita has fallen from 2200 m\({}^{3}\)/capita/year in the 1960s to 570 m\({}^{3}\)/capita/year in 2018, with 324 m\({}^{3}\)/capita/year anticipated in 2050 [15]. Despite reduced consumption, climate change is expected to raise even more issues across the country, with serious environmental, social, and economic consequences. In addition, transboundary water agreements need to be expanded and improved, because Egypt's existing water availability is insufficient to meet the needed water demand for agriculture, industry, residential consumption, and other uses [15]. El Farafra Oasis in the Western Desert is part of the New Valley Project which began in the 1960s to harness groundwater from the well-known Nubian Sandstone Aquifer (NSA) for desert farming and restoration [16]. The problem of hydraulic head drawdown in the Farafra Oasis is a big concern since it jeopardizes the oasis principal spring water. Farafra Oasis is part of the Nubian sandstone aquifer, which has vast, artesian, and non-renewable fossil water. Since numerous deep water wells were drilled near the end of the 1990s, the problem has quickly become apparent [17; 18]. Every year, the aquifer supplies enormous amounts of water (267 million m\({}^{3}\)). Piezometric cones of depression occur around the main pumping zones, where the hydraulic head has decreased 35 m below ground level [16]. Egypt's total water resources are roughly 79 billion m\({}^{3}\).year\({}^{-1}\), which includes Nile water, rainfall, reclaimed water, and groundwater [19]. Although groundwater makes up just around 1.5%, it is vital in Egypt's desert areas, which cover 96% of the country's land [16].