Development of a system to assess vulnerability of flooding from water in karst aquifers induced by mining

Abstract

Flooding from water in karst aquifers that are mining-induced poses a threat to coal mining in North China. In this study, a new geographic information system (GIS)-based assessment model is proposed and developed to assess flooding from water in karst aquifers induced by mining. Microsoft Excel and ArcGIS Engine 9.3 are used to build a GIS-based multi-criteria decision making system, which is developed by using the C Sharp programming language. The decision matrix which contains the criteria that determine the vulnerability of flooding is constructed by considering the geological conditions and mining activity. The weight vectors of the criteria are calculated by using an information entropy model. Then, a flooding vulnerability index is constructed in accordance with the overall criteria. The flooding vulnerability index is validated with data from the Xinqiao Coal mine in Henan Province, China. The results indicate that the multi-criteria decision making system can realistically assess flooding from water in karst aquifers induced by mining, and is a good technological support for determining the safety of underground mining.