Assessment of the vulnerability to pollution of shallow aquifers, case study of the plain of M'léta NW Algeria

Abstract

The increasing pollution of groundwater resulting from population growth and the evolution of agro-industrial activities have become a poses threat to the socio-economic development of the western Algerian region. This study aims to assess the vulnerability and pollution risks of the plain of M’léta and factors that control the transfer of pollutants, and prepare a report on the basis of a thematic map relating to the DRASTIC and DRIST method which is an improvement of the DRASTIC method. Cartographic analysis of the results of the two methods showed the M'léta Plain is characterized by low to high vulnerability, of which almost the entire plain is characterized by low to medium vulnerability. There was 53.75% for the DRASTIC method, while the second rate was 53.06% for the DRIST method, while the high vulnerability is recorded in the northern part of the plain, which swallowed 46.93% for the DRASTIC method, and for the DRIST method, it amounted to 46.24%. The result of the research shows that the preparation of an objective map avoids many risks of pollution and gives possible solutions for any future decision, and that both methods express approximately the same areas with regard to the degree of vulnerability.