Development of a Model for Assessing Vulnerability to Pollution of Groundwater in Fissured Aquifers: The Case of the Ehania Watershed (South-Eastern C&amp;#244;te d’Ivoire)

Brou Dibi,Arthur Brice Konan-Waidhet,Jean Biemi,Valérie Plagnes

doi:10.4236/jep.2021.121001

Development of a Model for Assessing Vulnerability to Pollution of Groundwater in Fissured Aquifers: The Case of the Ehania Watershed (South-Eastern C&#244;te d’Ivoire)

Brou Dibi, Arthur Brice Konan-Waidhet + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4236/jep.2021.121001

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Abstract

The protection of aquifers is a major concern for the authorities, especially in areas where there are large agro-industrial exploitations. The objective of this study is to define a new method of aquifer protection based on the characteristics of the structures of aquifers. The intrinsic vulnerability mapping method, PaPRI was used. It is a variant of the PaPRIKa method applied in karstic environment which has been adapted for its application in basement environment. This method uses three factors, including aquifer protection (P), using the soil cover, the unsaturated zone and the thickness of the alteration layer, (R) for the rock type and (I) for infiltration which including slope and drainage density. PAPRI is a method based on the weighting of different factors. The results obtained show 4 classes that evolve from low vulnerability classes (5% of the study area) to high and very high vulnerability classes (58%) and average vulnerability classes (37%). The classes of high and very high vulnerability, which indicate the zones that are very exposed to pollution, are more present in the central-northern part of the study area, with a few appearances towards the south. These zones could be related to topography due to the often very high slopes observed in the area. One of the advantages of this new method lies in the characterization of the alterations that strongly influence the migration of pollutants towards the water tables according to their nature and their thickness.

Highlights

Groundwater resources play an important role in meeting water supply requirements due to anthropogenic activities and regional climate changes that reduce or render water resources unsuitable for consumption [1]
The intrinsic vulnerability mapping method, PaPRI was used. It is a variant of the PaPRIKa method applied in karstic environment which has been adapted for its application in basement environment
One of the advantages of this new method lies in the characterization of the alterations that strongly influence the migration of pollutants towards the water tables according to their nature and their thickness

Summary

Introduction

Groundwater resources play an important role in meeting water supply requirements due to anthropogenic activities and regional climate changes that reduce or render water resources unsuitable for consumption [1]. The elaboration of a methodology for the mapping of protection perimeters appears essential This is especially necessary in large agricultural production areas where contaminant inputs may be significant, as is the case in our study area, which contains large agro-industrial farms [10]. This method has already been the subject of several works in karstic environment through several versions, the last one being PaPRIKa [11] [12] [13]. The objective of this study is to develop a methodology to map the protection zones of groundwater catchments in the midst of basement aquifers

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Discussion

Conclusion