Abstract
Land use types and anthropogenic activities represent considerable threats to groundwater pollution. To effectively monitor the groundwater quality, it is vital to measure pollution levels before they become severe. In our research area, located in Gilgit Baltistan in northern Pakistan, groundwater supplies are diminishing due to urban sprawl. In this study, we used a GIS-based DRASTIC model (Depth to water, Recharge, Aquifer media, Soil media, Topography, Impact of the vadose zone, Hydraulic conductivity) to analyze the area’s hydrological attributes to assess the groundwater susceptibility to pollution. Considering the importance of anthropogenic activities, this research primarily utilizes an adjusted DRASTIC model called DRASTICA, which incorporates anthropogenic impact as a parameter in the model. The resulting map, which depicts vulnerability to groundwater contamination, reveals that 19% of the study area is classed as having high vulnerability, 42% has moderate vulnerability, 37% has low vulnerability, and 2% has very low vulnerability to groundwater contamination. The adopted validation process (nitrate parameter of water quality) revealed that the suggested DRASTICA model achieved better results than the established DRASTIC model in a built-up environment. We used the nitrate concentration in groundwater to verify the formulated results, and the single parameter sensitivity analysis and map removal sensitivity analysis to analyze the model sensitivity. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the groundwater vulnerability to pollution is largely influenced by anthropogenic impact and depth to the water table, thereby suggesting that anthropogenic impact must be explicitly tackled in such studies. The groundwater zones exposed to anthropogenic pollution can be better classified with the help of the proposed DRASTICA model, particularly in and around built-up environments. The responsible authorities can use this groundwater contamination data as an early warning sign, so they can take practical actions to avoid extra pressure on this vital resource.
Highlights
All societies, productions, and ecologies require a clean and abundant water supply for energy production, drinking, sanitation, and farming
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency used the DRASTIC model to evaluate the susceptibility of groundwater to contamination, which is a suitable approach for this purpose [39]
We evaluated the groundwater susceptibility to pollution along the CPEC route in the northern Pakistan region of Gilgit Baltistan using an experimental index DRASTIC model in GIS software
Summary
Productions, and ecologies require a clean and abundant water supply for energy production, drinking, sanitation, and farming. The quantity and quality of groundwater are significant universal matters, and the water crisis represents a severe threat faced by human beings in the present times [1,2,3]. One of the most important sources of drinking water is the groundwater, as the pollutants from the surface of earth are less influential to this source. Considering the importance of groundwater aquifers and the sustainable use of groundwater, it is essential to assess their susceptibility to pollution. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency used the DRASTIC model to evaluate the susceptibility of groundwater to contamination, which is a suitable approach for this purpose [39]. To understand the hydrogeological setting of the study area, the mapping of environmental, geological, and hydrological elements is of utmost importance. The practice of mapping the study area according to the DRASTIC index was explained subsequently
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