Abstract
Karst groundwater constitutes the main resource for drinking water supply in Chefchaouen region, North Morocco. However, the karstic aquifers are highly vulnerable to the pollution because of the deforestation which favors the soil erosion and the landslides. Therefore, the groundwater is loaded with suspended sediment. The fertilizers disseminated for agriculture can also infiltrate and concentrate in the saturated zone of the aquifer. In this study, the geographic information system (GIS) provides an effective tool for groundwater contamination risk assessment, because it facilitates multicriteria analysis and updates the models developed. The EPIK model based on GIS uses four environmental parameters (Epikarst, Protective cover, Infiltration condition and Karst network development) to evaluate the intrinsic vulnerability of groundwater contamination potential. Each of these parameters is presented as a thematic map. After adding all data, the final result provides vulnerability map according to the protection factor relation based on which the protection zones’ map is created.
Highlights
Carbonate rock outcrops, of which a large part is karstified, cover about 7% - 12% of the planet’s dry, ice-free land, and karst waters supply about 25% of the global population [1]
In order to map the groundwater vulnerability, karstic aquifers near to Chefchaouen city (Northern Rif, Morocco) were selected to test the sensitivity of vulnerability to selected values of ratings and weight in the EPIK method based on a Geographic Information System (GIS)
The epikarst parameter mapping was made using the interpretation of aerial photography, the field verification and geomorphological studies
Summary
Of which a large part is karstified, cover about 7% - 12% of the planet’s dry, ice-free land, and karst waters supply about 25% of the global population [1]. In order to map the groundwater vulnerability, karstic aquifers near to Chefchaouen city (Northern Rif, Morocco) were selected to test the sensitivity of vulnerability to selected values of ratings and weight in the EPIK method based on a Geographic Information System (GIS). It is considered as the first method taking into account the specific properties of karst [4] [5]. The acronym stands for the four factors that are considered: Epikarst (E), Protective cover (P), Infiltration conditions (I) and Karst network development (K)
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