TITLE:
Groundwater Vulnerability for the Surface Outcropping Aquifers in Jordan
AUTHORS:
Alsharifa Hind Mohammad, Thair Almomani, Ikhlas Alhejoj
KEYWORDS:
Groundwater, Vulnerability, Aquifers, Vadose Zone, Jordan
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.6 No.3,
March
19,
2015
ABSTRACT: Groundwater
vulnerability is an overlay method that is used to determine the ability of
pollutants to penetrate to the target aquifer and to harm it. This method helps
decision makers by shedding light on pollution areas expected to pollute
groundwater aquifers as caused by human activities on the ground surface. In
Jordan, groundwater is the main water resource the country uses to match its
demand. The groundwater basins in Jordan are divided into 12 major basins. Some
basins are rechargeable and other basins are fossil. Many basins are over
exploited. Amman Zarqa basin is a clear example for this case. Others are
saline just like Azraq basin and the rest is expected to be affected by the
growing demand for agricultural, municipal and industrial activities. In this
study, a groundwater vulnerability map was produced for Jordan using DRASTIC
index to study the vulnerability of the shallow aquifers throughout the
country. The map shows different vulnerability classes ranging from low to very
high reflecting the environmental, hydrological and hydrogeological settings of
the groundwater and its recharge ability. The resulted map shows wide variation
in groundwater vulnerability in different sites in Jordan. Areas with higher
vulnerability are those with friable aquifer materials and shallow groundwater
depths. Medium and low vulnerability classes are exist too because of the
variations of the environmental settings within the targeted areas.