An integrated vulnerability assessment DRASTIC model and landuse for Yatta aquifer

Abstract

This project aims to study the vulnerability assessment of Western Aquifer Basin; Yatta aquifer in Hebron City. This is the largest basin and the most important one among the West Bank Aquifer basins. In first stage our project aims to pre-study and observe ON GROUND POINT OF SOURCES to mitigate industrial and human activities of groundwater pollution as to track problems ‘source and control them. The net concentration of nitrate in water has just been found after collection and testing of water samples from 4 main source and 20 sub-source in the study area with an average of 44.5mg/l with max of 128.5 mg/l and a 3.735mg/l with max of 7.5mg/l, respectively. The strategy followed by economic and environmentally effective real attempts to estimate how much danger is out there. A vulnerability assessment was developed by applying The DRASTIC model, representing distribution of degrees of vulnerability from vary low to very high with ranges 30% , 50% , 18% 4% and 3% , respectively. The overall result of change detection between land use 2011 and 2018 shows that Build up Areas and Road are increasing by 5.7% and 0.8 %, respectively , whereas the agricultural lands and Open Areas are decreasing by 4.9 % and 1.6% respectively. Key words: Ground Water, Vulnerability risk assessment, DRASTIC model, Yatta lower aquifer