Abstract
Water demands and risks of groundwater pollution in the Klaten District consistently increase as the human population grows over the years. This study aimed to examine the intrinsic and specific groundwater vulnerability levels (low, moderate, high) and analyze the spatial distribution and degree of contribution of the parameters to the vulnerability in some parts of the district area. The data included depth to the water table (measured directly at selected wells), rainfall records in 2009–2019, land-use maps (RBI), 30m DEM (SRTM), geological maps and geoelectric data. Groundwater vulnerability was analyzed with the Susceptibility Index by overlaying five parameters, which according to the results varied across the district: shallow to deep groundwater, aquifers that were composed of sandstone, sand and gravels and rock materials in between, topography of <2%and 2–6% and diverse land-use types from agricultural fields to built-up lands. Most of the research area had moderate intrinsic and specific vulnerability (43.93% and 50.53%), followed by high (38.24% and 46.43%) and low (17.83% and 3.04%). Also, depth to the water table and land use are the most influencing parameters. The results of this study are expected to provide a reference for the government to consider factoring in priority areas based on groundwater vulnerability levels in formulating the district’s spatial plan.
Highlights
Water is one of the earth’s components essential to support and sustain the life of living organisms
Depth to the water table determines the length of contact between pollutants and groundwater [12]
The deeper the water table from the surface, the longer it takes for pollutants to reach the groundwater [8].The measurement results showed that the depth to the water table in the research location varied from
Summary
Water is one of the earth’s components essential to support and sustain the life of living organisms. In some regions groundwater is preferred as it has relatively better quality than other water sources and is easy to reach [1]. As population multiplies water demands are expected to increase and more anthropogenic activities are projected to generate waste and introduce pollutants into the groundwater, potentially reducing its quality. Groundwater vulnerability measures the ease with which pollutants introduced onto the soil surface can reach groundwater tables [2]. It differentiates into two types, namely specific groundwater vulnerability and intrinsic groundwater vulnerability [3]. The former is attributable to physical conditions, such as hydrogeological characteristics that protect groundwater from being polluted, while the latter deals with the absence or presence of a source of pollutants [4]
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