Assessing Groundwater Vulnerability in Azraq Basin Area by a Modified DRASTIC Index

Groundwater is the main source for water supply in Jordan. Surface water is limited due to low precipitation rates. Studying groundwater vulnerability helps to protect this main source of depletion and degradation for present and coming generations. Different vulnerability indices were built taking into consideration the different environmental setting of the different areas for which these indices were established. Environmental and weather conditions are very important factors in determination groundwater vulnerability hence arid to semi arid areas conditions must be taken into account in applying different indices. The reason after selecting Azraq as a rest point is related directly to the availability of fresh water resources in the form of the wetland supported by many potential springs making Azraq a rich environment for economic activities. A modified DRASTIC vulnerability index was applied to Azraq basin area due to its special climate and wetland area conditions. The index takes the special landuse and the different groundwater depths into consideration and suggests a few measures to alleviate the vulnerability of the groundwater resources due to overexploitation and human activities changing the value of landuse. Azraq basin represents four different vulnerability classes, ranging from Low to very high vulnerability class. The lower vulnerability class areas are distributed in theareas with high depth to water table and low recharge areas with low human activities. The higher vulnerability classes are shown in the areas with high possibility of the pollutants to reach the groundwater. The modified DRASTIC index added the value of the human activity and the structural features in the area which give a more ease to pollutant to permit the aquifer.

Vulnerability of Groundwater System in Central Jordan Valley/Pollution Indicators and Decontamination Process

More than 60% of the water demand in Jordan is covered by groundwater. Due to the accelerated population growth and development in all sectors including agriculture, more water has been pumped and more fertilizers have been supplied to the natural system. In the Jordan Valley;Agriculture is practiced along the year according to the agro climatic conditions as well intensive patterns of farming are carried out to satisfy the growing food demand in Jordan. Thus, Groundwater quality analysis proved that groundwater quality is relatively polluted with respect to NO﹣3 and salinity. The pollution hot spots are mapped to be the vulnerable areas according to the considered variables (Geology, topography, land use …etc). Within this work groundwater quality was evaluated according to the global standards to be moderately polluted and not drinkable in more than 50% of the analyzed samples. The groundwater vulnerability map indicates that the pollution sources in the study area are mainly due to the agricultural return flow. To assure safe water supply for rural farmers a solar still was designed and implemented in the area for two months. The discharged water from the still proved to be suitable for drinking with no NO﹣3 content and economically it can be handled by locals.

The Fate of Disi Aquifer as Stratigic Groundwater Reserve for Shared Countries (Jordan and Saudi Arabia)

Disi is a fossil groundwater shred between Jordan and Saudi Arabia with a very high quality properties, this water is limited and has been used for irrigation purposes between both countries, this study helps in highlighted the importance of this water as stratigic reserve to be use later on. This study shows that the amounts of groundwater affected by the thickness of the saturated zone in the aquifer, the porosity of the aquifer and the groundwater flow in the basin. Abstraction from the aquifer will affect water quality so this point must be clearly understood all the time.