Mapping Intrinsic Vulnerability to Pollution Using the DRASTIC Method in the Temara Groundwater (Northwestern Morocco)

Mapping Intrinsic Vulnerability to Pollution Using the DRASTIC Method in the Temara Groundwater (Northwestern Morocco)

Mariam Taazzouzte, Abdessamad Ghafiri, Hassan Lemacha, Saida El Moutaki, Imane Haidara
DOI: 10.4018/IJAEIS.293753
Article PDF Download
Open access articles are freely available for download

Abstract

the DRASTIC method was chosen because it can be adapted to different environments and because it combines the seven criteria that directly influence groundwater: depth, recharge, geology, soil, slope, unsaturated zone and conductivity. Located in the North West of Morocco, the Temara aquifer is a very important water resource, but it is overexploited and deteriorated as never before. This issue is of concern to decision-makers in the field of water management. The objective of this work is to create a map of vulnerability to pollution by the Bay of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the DRASTIC model. Thus, the highest vulnerabilities are located around the drinking water treatment plant of Ain Atiq, at the mouth of the Bouregreg River and scattered in places throughout the study area. The results of the physico-chemical analysis showed compatibility with the results of the DRASTIC model.
Article Preview
Top

Introduction

Groundwater is a precious natural resource, it has become increasingly rare all over the world. This scarcity stems from, on one hand, the overexploitation in domestic, industrial and agricultural fields. On the other hand; from unprecedented population and urban growth. Compared to surface water, groundwater is less exposed to the risks of pollution because it exists in depth (Li and al., 2018; Wang and al., 2019; Arya and al., 2020). However, groundwater remains susceptible to intrinsic pollution due to agricultural and anthropogenic activities (Voudouris and al., 2010; Aravinthasamy and al., 2019b and Tomer and al., 2019).

The heavy impact of this problem on groundwater quality has become a major concern for all countries of the world. Therefore, this has triggered governments to develop water management programs through academic studies on groundwater vulnerability to pollution.

In 1968, Margat introduced the concept of groundwater vulnerability. The latter contradicts with the basic role of natural barriers in protecting groundwater from contamination (Margat, 1968). In other words, it is the tendency and probability of contaminants in reaching the aquifer after being introduced to the soil surface (Ball and al., 2004, Mahmudul and al., 2019). In fact, several research studies have applied various models which utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as an indispensable tool. These models are based on the layering process of the various factors involved in groundwater's vulnerability to pollution, for instance DRASTIC (Aller and al., 1987; Bera and al., 2021; Agossou and Yang, 2021 ; Voutchkova and al., 2021), GOD (Foster, 1987 ; Boulabeiz and al., 2019; Taazzouzte and al., 2020), AVI (Van Stempvoort and al., 1993), EPIK (Doerfliger and Zwahlen, 1997; Nekkoub and al., 2020), SINTACS (Civita, 1994 ; Noori and al., 2019), PCA technique (Rahmani and al., 2019), FIS (Pathak and Bhandary., 2020) Fuzzy Clustering (Javadi and al., 2020). It is worth noting but the selection of the method depends on the purpose of the study and the availability of the data.

Complete Article List

Search this Journal:
Reset
Volume 15: 1 Issue (2024): Forthcoming, Available for Pre-Order
Volume 14: 1 Issue (2023)
Volume 13: 2 Issues (2022): 1 Released, 1 Forthcoming
Volume 12: 4 Issues (2021)
Volume 11: 4 Issues (2020)
Volume 10: 4 Issues (2019)
Volume 9: 4 Issues (2018)
Volume 8: 4 Issues (2017)
Volume 7: 4 Issues (2016)
Volume 6: 4 Issues (2015)
Volume 5: 4 Issues (2014)
Volume 4: 4 Issues (2013)
Volume 3: 2 Issues (2012)
Volume 2: 2 Issues (2011)
Volume 1: 2 Issues (2010)
View Complete Journal Contents Listing