Groundwater Vulnerability Mapping in the Arab Region

Within the framework of technical cooperation projects several groundwater vulnerability studies have been carried out by scientists from the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and partner organizations in the Arab region over the past decade. Land use planners and decision makers are usually not trained to take aspects of groundwater protection into consideration. Groundwater vulnerability mapping is a suitable tool for this purpose. It also facilitates groundwater quality control measures, such as the delineation of groundwater protection zones and the development of groundwater quality monitoring schemes. The mapping scale depends on the intended use, the available data, the time frame and the availability of funds. For land use planning the scale is normally 1:100,000, whereas for outlining of groundwater protection zones the mapping scale should not be smaller than 1:25,000.