• Groundwater quality shows high spatial heterogeneity, with distinct physico-chemical clusters linked to different environmental pressures.
• No stygofauna detected in any of the 17 wells, suggesting either:
✓ Environmental conditions may exceed biological tolerance thresholds, or
✓ Biogeographic/methodological factors may limit detection.
• Water-quality issues identified: elevated salinity and nutrient contamination in several wells require management attention.
• The absence of fauna is itself an important ecological result, highlighting the vulnerability of groundwater ecosystems in arid regions.