Estimation of the sources and vulnerability of groundwater to pollution in the Al-Hussein Basin (Syria)

Abstract

Rainfall, springs and groundwater abound in the Al-Hussein Basin with karst rocky outcrops, and with the increase in the population and dependence on agriculture mainly and the poor infrastructure of sewage networks represented by the lack of sewage treatment plants and the large number of technical excavations, in addition to the spread of olive presses, it was necessary to anticipate the possibility of pollution Groundwater.

this study aim to assess the extent of the susceptibility of the aquifers to pollution in the Al-Hussein Basin, and to know the areas prone to groundwater pollution therein. To achieve this, the (DRASTIC) and (EPIK) method were used through the Geographical Information System (GIS).   Both methods need to identify the many geological, hydrogeological and tectonic factors that play a role in water pollution.

The results using the (EPIK) method showed that the ability to pollute is high and covers an area of ​​175 km2, which is a Percentage (49.6%) of the basin area. As for the high pollution potential using the (DRASTIC) method, it covered an area of ​​57 km2, which is a Percentage 16.2% of the basin area. This difference between the results of the two methods is due to the fact that the parameters of each method are different from the other, where the (DRASTIC) method depends on seven parameters or the (EPIK) method depends on only four parameters, two of them (E, K) EPIKARST the karst openings and the evolution of the karst network. Therefore, the main difference between the two methods is the ability of the EPIK method to describe the development of karst, and this is logical when knowing that the study area has many karst manifestations.