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Assessment of subsurface lithology, groundwater depth, and quality of UET Lahore, Pakistan, using electrical resistivity method

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Abstract

Rapidly depleting resources of surface water necessitate the exploration of groundwater reservoirs to cope with the water demand in Lahore and its periphery. For this purpose, a study was conducted to investigate groundwater depth, water quality, and subsurface lithology through Geo-electrical Resistivity Survey (ERS). Vertical electrical soundings (VES) at six (06) stations in the city of Lahore were performed using Schlumberger array. Apparent resistivity values were recorded at surface and processed with a computer software IPI2win to assess groundwater depth, quality, and subsurface formations. The VES resulted that the study area comprises of three layers. Top layer was determined as fill up to depth of 2 m followed by an unsaturated alluvium up to depth of 40 m, and the bottom layer was saturated alluvium up to the study depth of 100 m. The average water table depth was appeared to be at 39 m below the ground surface. The computed groundwater depths were also compared with the previous studies conducted in the proximity by different agencies in the past using destructive techniques and showed close resemblance. The study also shows that the groundwater up to depth of 100 m was having excess amount of total dissolved solids and was not drinkable as per quality standards set by the World Health Organization.

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Abbreviations

ERS :

Geo-electrical Resistivity Survey

VES :

Vertical electrical soundings

TDS :

Total dissolved solids

Pvt. :

Private limited

Ltd. :

Limited

ρa :

Apparent resistivity

ρ :

Resistivity

RMS :

Root mean square

Ppm :

Parts per million

Ωm :

Ohm-m

WHO :

World Health Organization

WASA :

Water and Sanitation Agency

NESPAK :

National Engineering Services Pakistan

UET :

University of Engineering and Technology

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the support provided by the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore, Pakistan, for providing the facilities as well as finance to accomplish the present study. Besides, we are grateful to Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), Lahore, responsible for water supply and sanitation services in Lahore, and National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) Pvt. Ltd., in providing the requisite data for comparison of results with those of previously conducted studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Mirpur University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mirpur AJK, Pakistan

    Zahid Mehmood & Syed Zishan Ashiq

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore, Pakistan

    Noor Muhammad Khan

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, GIK Institute, Swabi, Pakistan

    Shamsher Sadiq

  4. Civil Engineering Department, BUITEMS, Quetta, Pakistan

    Saeed-ullah Jan Mandokhail

Authors
  1. Zahid Mehmood
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  2. Noor Muhammad Khan
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  3. Shamsher Sadiq
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  4. Saeed-ullah Jan Mandokhail
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  5. Syed Zishan Ashiq
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Saeed-ullah Jan Mandokhail.

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Responsible Editor: Li Zhen Cheng

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Mehmood, Z., Khan, N.M., Sadiq, S. et al. Assessment of subsurface lithology, groundwater depth, and quality of UET Lahore, Pakistan, using electrical resistivity method. Arab J Geosci 13, 281 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-5260-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-5260-9

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