Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Application of GIS-based DRASTIC model approaches in assessing groundwater vulnerability for shallow alluvial aquifer deposited

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Arabian Journal of Geosciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Groundwater can be contaminated by many sources, such as anthropogenic activities on the ground surface. To evaluate the vulnerability of groundwater to contamination, the present study was conducted in the shallow alluvial aquifer of Bachok, Kelantan, by embedding several hydrogeological parameters using the GIS-based DRASTIC model. Considering the importance of land use activities on groundwater vulnerability, the land use map of the study area was integrated with the DRASTIC model, known as the integrated land use DRASTIC model. Results of the DRASTIC model classified 58.36% of the area as high vulnerability, 14.40% as moderate vulnerability, and 27.14% as low vulnerability. Meanwhile, the integrated land use DRASTIC map showed that most parts of the study area have moderate vulnerability (61.03%). The depth to the water table and net recharge parameters have contributed to large variations in groundwater vulnerability indices. The models were validated using nitrate concentrations. Negative weak correlations were measured between nitrate concentrations with DRASTIC index (− 0.318; p < 0.001) and between nitrate concentrations with integrated land use DRASTIC index (− 0.309; p < 0.001). These findings have led to the conclusion that nitrate concentrations and vulnerability index values may not correlate so that the more coherent measure of other types of pollutants can be used in the future.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

source: Narany et al. (2018))

Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Al Hallaq AH, Abu Elaish BS (2012) Assessment of aquifer vulnerability to contamination in Khanyounis Governorate, Gaza Strip – Palestine, using the DRASTIC model within GIS environment. Arab J Geosci 5:833–847

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Abadi AM, Al-Shamma’a AM, Aljabbari MH, (2017) A GIS-based DRASTIC model for assessing intrinsic groundwater vulnerability in northeastern Missan governorate, southern Iraq. Appl Water Sci 7:89–101

    Google Scholar 

  • Alam F, Umar R, Ahmed S, Dar FA (2012) A new model (DRASTIC-LU) for evaluating groundwater vulnerability in parts of central Ganga Plain, India. Arab J Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-012-0796-y

  • Aller L, Bennet T, Lehr JH, Petty RJ (1987) DRASTIC: a standardized system for evaluating groundwater pollution potential using hydrogeological settings. J Geol Soc India 29:23–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Rawabdeh AM, Al-Ansari NA, Al-Taani AA, Knutsson S (2013) A GIS-based Drastic model for assessing aquifer vulnerability in Amman-Zerqa groundwater basin. Jordan Eng 5:490–504

    Google Scholar 

  • Alwathaf Y, El Mansouri B (2011) Assessment of aquifer vulnerability based on GIS and ARCGIS methods: a case study of the Sana’a Basin (Yemen). J Water Resour Prot 3:845–855

    Google Scholar 

  • Arauzo M (2017) Vulnerability of groundwater resources to nitrate pollution: a simple and effective procedure for delimiting nitrate vulnerable zones. Sci Total Environ 575:799–812

    Google Scholar 

  • Awawdeh M, Obeidat M, Zaiter G (2014) Groundwater vulnerability assessment in the vicinity of Ramtha wastewater treatment plant, North Jordan. Appl Water Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-014-0194-6

  • Baalousha HM (2016) Groundwater vulnerability mapping of Qatar aquifers. J African Earth Sci 124:75–93

  • Baba ME, Kayastha P, Huysmans M, Smedt FD (2020) Groundwater vulnerability and nitrate contamination assessment and mapping using DRASTIC and geostatistical analysis. Water 12(7):2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12072022

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baghapour MA, Talebbeydokhti N, Tabatabaee SH, Nobandegani AF (2014) Assessment of groundwater nitrate pollution and determination of groundwater protection zones using DRASTIC and composite DRASTIC (CD) models: the case of Shiraz unconfined aquifer. J Health Sci Surveill Syst 2(2):54–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbulescu A (2020) Assessing groundwater vulnerability: DRASTIC and DRASTIC-like methods: a review. Water 12(5):1356. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12051356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartzas G, Tinivella F, Medini L, Zaharaki D, Komnitsas K (2015) Assessment of groundwater contamination risk in an agricultural area in north Italy. Inf Process Agric 2:109–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Brindha K, Elango L (2015) Cross comparison of five popular groundwater pollution vulnerability index approaches. J Hydrol 524:597–613

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaturvedi RS (1973) A note on the investigation of ground water resources in western districts of Uttar Pradesh. Annual Report, U.P. Irrigation Research Institute, pp 86–122

  • Chen J, Wu H, Qian H (2016) Groundwater nitrate contamination and associated health risk for the rural communities in an agricultural area of Ningxia, Northwest China. Expos Health 8(3):349–359

    Google Scholar 

  • Department of Statistic Malaysia (2011) Population distribution and basic demographic characteristic report 2010. https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/ctheme&menu_id=L0pheU43NWJwRWVSZklWdzQ4TlhUUT09&bul_id=MDMxdHZjWTk1SjFzTzNkRXYzcVZjdz09. Accessed 1st January 2019

  • Dizaji AR, Hosseini SA, Rezaverdinejad V, Sharafati A (2020) Groundwater contamination vulnerability assessment using DRASTIC method, GSA, and uncertainty analysis. Arab J Geosci 13:645. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05650-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hua S, Jing H, Yao Y, Guo Z, Lerner DN, Andrews CB, Zheng C (2020) Can groundwater be protected from the pressure of china’s urban growth? Environ Int 143:105911

    Google Scholar 

  • Huan H, Wang J, Teng Y (2012) Assessment and validation of groundwater vulnerability to nitrate based on a modified DRASTIC model: a case study in Jilin City of northeast China. Sci Total Environ 440:14–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Hussin NH, Yusoff I, Wan Muhd Tahir WZ, Mohamed I, Ibrahim AIN, Rambli A (2016) Multivariate statistical analysis for identifying water quality and hydrogeochemical evolution of shallow groundwater in Quaternary deposits in the Lower Kelantan River Basin, Malaysian Peninsula. Environ Earth Sci 75:1081

    Google Scholar 

  • Hussain Y, Ullah SF, Hussain MB, Aslam AQ, Akhter G, Martinez-Carvajal H, Cárdenas-Soto M (2017) Modelling the vulnerability of groundwater to contamination in an unconfined alluvial aquifer in Pakistan. Environ Earth Sci 76:84

    Google Scholar 

  • Hussin NH, Yusoff I, Raksmey M (2020) Comparison of applications to evaluate groundwater recharge at Lower Kelantan River Basin, Malaysia. Geosciences 10:289

    Google Scholar 

  • Jakeman AJ, Barreteau O, Hunt RJ, Rinaudo J-D, Ross A, Arshad M, Hamilton S (2016) Integrated groundwater management: an overview of concepts and challenges. In Jakeman et al (eds) Integrated groundwater management, Springer, pp 3–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23576-9_1

  • Kaliraj S, Chandrasekar N, Simon Peter T, Selvakumar S, Magesh NS (2015) Mapping of coastal aquifer vulnerable zone in the south west coast of Kanyakumari, South India, using GIS-based DRASTIC model. Environ Monit Assess 187:4073

    Google Scholar 

  • Kayode JS, Arifin MH, Kamarudib MKA, Hussin A, Nordin MNM, Roslan N (2019) The vulnerability of the aquifer units in the flood-affected areas of the east coast Peninsula Malaysia. Arab J Geosci 12:146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-019-4323-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kazakis N, Voudouris KS (2015) Groundwater vulnerability and pollution assessment of porous aquifers to nitrate: modifying the DRASTIC method using quantitative parameters. J Hydrol 525:13–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Li R, Merchant JW, Chen X-H (2014) A geospatial approach for assessing groundwater vulnerability to nitrate contamination in agricultural settings. Water Air Soil Pollut 225:2214

    Google Scholar 

  • Lodwick WA, Monson W, Svoboda L (1990) Attribute error and sensitivity analysis of map operations in geographical information systems: suitability analysis. Int J Geogr Inf Syst 4(4):413–428

    Google Scholar 

  • Maqsoom A, Aslam B, Khalil U, Ghorbanzadeh O, Ashraf H, Tufail RF, Farooq D, Blaschke T (2020) A GIS-based DRASTIC model and an adjusted DRASTIC model (DRASTICA) for groundwater susceptibility assessment along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route. ISPRS Int J Geo-Information 9(332)

  • Mogaji KA (2018) Application of vulnerability modeling techniques in groundwater resources management: a comparative study. Appl Water Sci 8:127

    Google Scholar 

  • Mohammed TA, Ghazali AH (2009) Evaluation of yield and groundwater quality for selected wells in Malaysia. Pertanika J Sci Technol 17(1):33–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Napolitano P, Fabbri AG (1996) Single-parameter sensitivity analysis for aquifer vulnerability assessment using DRASTIC and SINTACS HydroGIS 96: application of geographical information systems in hydrology and water resources management. In: Proceeding of Vienna Conference. IAHS Pub 325:559–566

  • Narany TS, Aris AZ, Sefie A, Keesstra S (2017) Detecting and predicting the impact of land use on groundwater quality, a case study in Northern Kelantan, Malaysia. Sci Total Environ 599–600:844–853

    Google Scholar 

  • Narany TS, Sefie A, Aris AZ (2018) The long-term impacts of anthropogenic and natural processes on groundwater deterioration in multilayered aquifer. Sci Total Environ 630:931–942

    Google Scholar 

  • Nazaruddin DA, Amiruzan ZS, Hussin H, MohdJafar MT (2017) Integrated geological and multi-electrode resistivity surveys for groundwater investigation in Kampung Rahmat village and its vicinity, Jeli district, Kelantan, Malaysia. J Appl Geophys 138:23–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Neshat A, Pradhan B, Pirasteh S, MohdShafri HZ (2014) Estimating groundwater vulnerability to pollution using modified DRASTIC model in the Kerman agricultural area, Iran. Environ Earth Sci 71:3119–3131

    Google Scholar 

  • Ouedraogo I, Defourny P, Vanclooster M (2016) Mapping the groundwater vulnerability for pollution at the pan African scale. Sci Total Environ 544:939–953

    Google Scholar 

  • Pathak DR, Hiratsuka A, Awata I, Chen L (2009) Groundwater vulnerability assessment in shallow aquifer of Kathmandu Valley using GIS-based DRASTIC model. Environ Geol 57:1569–1578

    Google Scholar 

  • Prasad RK, Singh VS, Krishnamarcharyulu SKG, Banerjee P (2011) Application of drastic model and GIS: for assessing vulnerability in hard rock granitic aquifer. Environ Monit Assess 176:143–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Saghravani SR, Yusoff I, Wan Md Tahir WZ, Othman Z (2015) Comparison of water table fluctuation and chloride mass balance methods for recharge estimation in a tropical rainforest climate: a case study from Kelantan River catchment, Malaysia. Environ Earth Sci 73:4419–4428

    Google Scholar 

  • Saghravani SR, Yusoff I, Wan Md Tahir WZ, Othman Z (2016) Estimating groundwater recharge based on mass balance evaluation of unsaturated zone in a coastal catchment characterized by tropical rainforest weather condition. Environ Earth Sci 75:668

    Google Scholar 

  • Saha D, Alam F (2014) Groundwater vulnerability assessment using DRASTIC and pesticide DRASTIC models in intense agriculture area of the Gangetic plains, India. Environ Monit Assess 186:8741–8763

    Google Scholar 

  • Said MN, Jamil RM, Reba MNM (2013) Assessment of groundwater vulnerability contamination using ‘DRASTIC’ model within GIS environment.7th SEATUC SYMPOSIUM, 4–6 March 2013, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia. Volume: ISSN 2186–7631

  • Samsudin AR, Haryono A, Hamzah U, Rafek AG (2008) Salinity mapping of coastal groundwater aquifers using hydrogeochemical and geophysical methods: a case study from north Kelantan, Malaysia. Environ Geol 55:1737–1743

    Google Scholar 

  • Sefie A, Aris AZ, Shamsuddin MKN, Tawnie I, Suratman S, Idris AN, Saadudin SB, Wan Ahmad WK (2015) Hydrogeochemistry of groundwater from different aquifer in Lower Kelantan Basin, Kelantan, Malaysia. Procedia Environ Sci 30:151–156

    Google Scholar 

  • Sefie A, Aris AZ, Ramli MF, Narany TS, Shamsuddin MKN, Saadudin SB, Zali MA (2018) Hydrogeochemistry and groundwater quality assessment of the multilayered aquifer in Lower Kelantan Basin, Kelantan, Malaysia. Environ Earth Sci 77:397

    Google Scholar 

  • Shamsuddin AS, Syed Ismail SN, Zainal Abidin E, Yu Bin H (2018) Classifying sources of nitrate contamination in an alluvial deposit aquifer system suing hydrogeochemical properties and multivariate statistical techniques. Malays J Med Health Sci 14(SPI):30–39

  • Shekhar S, Pandey AC, Tirkey AS (2015) A GIS-based DRASTIC model for assessing groundwater vulnerability in hard rock granitic aquifer. Arab J Geosci 8:1385–1401

    Google Scholar 

  • Shirazi SM, Imran HM, Akib S, Yusop Z, Harun ZB (2013) Groundwater vulnerability assessment in the Melaka State of Malaysia using DRASTIC and GIS techniques. Environ Earth Sci 70:2293–2304

    Google Scholar 

  • Shrestha S, Kafle R, Pandey VP (2017) Evaluation of index-overlay methods for groundwater vulnerability and risk assessment in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Sci Total Environ 575:779–790

    Google Scholar 

  • Shrestha S, Semkuyu DJ, Pandey VP (2016) Assessment of groundwater vulnerability and risk to pollution in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Sci Total Environ 556:23–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinha MK, Verma MK, Ahmad I, Baier K, Jha R, Azzam R (2016) Assessment of groundwater vulnerability using modified DRASTIC model in Kharun Basin, Chhattisgarh, India. Arab J Geosci 9:98

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilahun K, Merkel BJ (2010) Assessment of groundwater vulnerability to pollution in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia using DRASTIC. Environ Earth Sci 59:1485–1496

    Google Scholar 

  • VictorineNeh A, Ako AA, Ayuk AR II, Hosono T (2015) DRASTIC-GIS model for assessing vulnerability to pollution of the phreatic aquiferous formations in Douala-Cameroon. J Afr Earth Sc 102:180–190

    Google Scholar 

  • Wick K, Heumesser C, Schmid E (2012) Groundwater nitrate contamination: factors and indicators. J Environ Manag 111:178–186

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin L, Zhang E, Wang X, Wenninger J, Dong J, Guo L, Huang J (2013) A GIS-based DRASTIC model for assessing groundwater vulnerability in the Ordos Plateau, China. Environ Earth Sci 69:171–185

    Google Scholar 

  • Yong CZ, Denys PH, Pearson CF (2018) Groundwater extraction-induced land subsidence: a geodetic strain rate study in Kelantan, Malaysia. J Spat Sci. https://doi.org/10.1080/14498596.2018.1429329

  • Zghibi A, Merzougui A, Chenini I, Ergaieg K, Zouhri L, Tarhouni J (2016) Groundwater vulnerability analysis of Tunisian coastal aquifer: an application of DRASTIC index method in GIS environment. Groundw Sustain Dev 2:169–181

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We want to thank the staffs of the Department of Mineral and Geosciences, Department of Drainage and Irrigation, Malaysian Centre for Geospatial Data Infrastructure, Bachok Land and District Office, and Bachok District Council who have provided the data and maps during this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition Sciences, Kulliyyah of Allied Health Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuantan Campus, 25200, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

    Aida Soraya Shamsuddin & Wan Azdie Mohd. Abu Bakar

  2. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Aida Soraya Shamsuddin, Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail, Emilia Zainal Abidin & Ho Yu Bin

  3. East Coast Environmental Research Institute (ESERI), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Gong Badak Campus, 21300, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia

    Hafizan Juahir

Authors
  1. Aida Soraya Shamsuddin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Emilia Zainal Abidin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ho Yu Bin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Hafizan Juahir
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Wan Azdie Mohd. Abu Bakar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Conceptualization, Aida Soraya Shamsuddin and Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail; methodology, Aida Soraya Shamsuddin and Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail; software, Aida Soraya Shamsuddin and Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail; validation, Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail, Emilia Zainal Abidin, and Ho Yu Bin; investigation, Aida Soraya Shamsuddin, Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail, Emilia Zainal Abidin, Ho Yu Bin, Hafizan Juahir, and Wan Azdie Mohd. Abu Bakar; resources, Aida Soraya Shamsuddin, Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail, and Hafizan Juahir; data curation, Aida Soraya Shamsuddin, Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail, Emilia Zainal Abidin, Ho Yu Bin, Hafizan Juahir, and Wan Azdie Mohd. Abu Bakar; writing—original draft preparation, Aida Soraya Shamsuddin; writing–review and editing, Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail, Emilia Zainal Abidin, Ho Yu Bin, Hafizan Juahir, and Wan Azdie Mohd. Abu Bakar; visualization, Aida Soraya Shamsuddin and Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail; supervision: Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail, Emilia Zainal Abidin, and Ho Yu Bin; project administration, Aida Soraya Shamsuddin; funding acquisition, Aida Soraya Shamsuddin. All authors read and agreed to the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Communicated by Broder J. Merkel.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Shamsuddin, A.S., Ismail, S.N.S., Abidin, E.Z. et al. Application of GIS-based DRASTIC model approaches in assessing groundwater vulnerability for shallow alluvial aquifer deposited. Arab J Geosci 14, 2693 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-08865-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-08865-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation