Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Mapping groundwater contamination risk using GIS and groundwater modelling. A case study from the Gaza Strip, Palestine

رسم خرائط مخاطر تلوث المياه الجوفية باستخدام نظام المعلومات الجغرافي ونمذجة المياه الجوفية. دراسة حالة من قطاع غزة، فلسطين

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

Abstract

Increasing pressure on water resources worldwide has resulted in groundwater contamination, and thus the deterioration of the groundwater resources and a threat to the public health. Risk mapping of groundwater contamination is an important tool for groundwater protection, land use management, and public health. This study presents a new approach for groundwater contamination risk mapping, based on hydrogeological setting, land use, contamination load, and groundwater modelling. The risk map is a product of probability of contamination and impact. This approach was applied on the Gaza Strip area in Palestine as a case study. A spatial analyst tool within Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to interpolate and manipulate data to develop GIS maps of vulnerability, land use, and contamination impact. A groundwater flow model for the area of study was also used to track the flow and to delineate the capture zones of public wells. The results show that areas of highest contamination risk occur in the southern cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah. The majority of public wells are located in an intermediate risk zone and four wells are in a high risk zone.

ملخص

إن زيادة الضغط على مصادر المياه في جميع أنحاء العالم قد أدى إلى تلوث المياه الجوفية ، وبالتالي إلى تدهور نوعية موارد المياه الجوفية مما يشكل تهديداً للصحة العامة. إن رسم خرائط لمخاطر تلوث المياه الجوفية يعتبر أداة هامة لحماية المياه الجوفية ، ولإدارة استخدام الأراضي ومن أجل الصحة العامة.

هذه الدراسة تقدم طريقة جديدة لرسم خرائط مخاطر تلوث المياه الجوفية ، اعتماداً على الخصائص الهيدروجيولوجية، استخدامات الأراضي، مصادر تلوث المياه ونمذجة المياه الجوفية.

تم تطبيق هذه الطريقة على منطقة قطاع غزة في فلسطين ، كدراسة حالة، و تمت معالجة البيانات ورسم الخرائط اللازمة مثل خريطة قابلية التلوث وخريطة أثر التلوث باستخدام أداة التحليل المكاني في نظام المعلومات الجغرافي، وقد تم استخدام نموذج لحركة المياه الجوفية، وذلك لتحديد المناطق الواقعة تحت تأثير ضخ آبار المياه الجوفية العامة.

لقد أظهرت نتائج هذه الدراسة أن المناطق ذات المخاطر العالية هي تلك الواقعة في مدن خان يونس ورفح في جنوب قطاع غزة، كما أظهرت أن معظم آبار المياه الجوفية العامة تقع في مناطق متوسطة المخاطر، وأن أربعة آبار تقع في منطقة عالية المخاطر.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abu Maila Y, El-Nahal I, Al-Agha MR (2004) Seasonal variation and mechanisms of groundwater nitrate pollution in the Gaza Strip. Environ Geol 47:84–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Adamat R, Foster I, Baban S (2003) Groundwater vulnerability and risk mapping for basaltic aquifer of Azraq basin of Jordan using GIS, remote sensing and DRASTIC. Appl Geogr 23:303–324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Agha M (1995) Environmental contamination of groundwater in the Gaza Strip. Environ Geol 25:109–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Agha M (1997) Environmental management in the Gaza Strip. Environmental Policy Making 17:65–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Aller L, Bennett T, Lehr JH, Petty RJ (1985) DRASTIC: a standardized system for evaluating groundwater potential using hydrogeological settings. Environmental Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Ada Oklahoma; EPA/600/285/018

  • Amini A, Afyuni M, khademi H, Abbaspour K, Schulin R (2005) Mapping risk of cadmium and lead contamination to human health in soils of central Iran. Sci Total Environ 347:64–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Assaf H, Saadeh M (2009) Geostatistical aof gncontamination with r on DRASTIC vulnerability assessment: cof the Upper Litani Basin, Lebanon. Water Resour Manag 23:775–796

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baalousha H (1998) Design of a groundwater quality monitoring network for the Gaza Strip, Palestine. MSc. Thesis. Delft, The Netherlands

  • Baalousha H (2003) Risk assessment and uncertainty analysis in groundwater modelling. Dissertation. Aachen University of Technology (RWTH)

  • Baalousha H (2005) Using CRD method for quantification of groundwater recharge in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Environ Geol 48:889–900

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baalousha H (2006) Vulnerability assessment for the Gaza Strip, Palestine using DRASTIC. Environ Geol 50:405–414

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baalousha H (2008) Analysis of nitrate occurrence and distribution in groundwater in the Gaza Strip using major ion chemistry. Global NEST J 10:337–349

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartels C, Beurden A (1998) Using geographic principles for environmental assessment and risk mapping. Journal of Hazardous materials 61:115–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ducci D (1999) GIS techniques for mapping groundwater contamination risk. Nat Hazards 20:279–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EUROCONSULT and IWACO (1994) Gaza environmental profile, part one: inventory of resources. Arnhem/Rotterdam, the Netherlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasserrea F, Razacka M, Banton O (1999) A GIS-linked model for the assessment of nitrate contamination in groundwater. J Hydrol 224:81–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald M, Harbaugh A (1988) A modular three dimensional finite difference ground-water flow model, Book 6 Chapter A1 of "Techniques of Water Resources investigation of the United States Geological Survey”

  • Metcalf and Eddy Consultant Co. (Camp Dresser and McKee Inc) (2000) Coastal aquifer management program, integrated aquifer management plan (Gaza Strip), USAID Study Task 3, Executive Summary, Vol. 1, and Appendices B-G. Gaza, Palestine

  • Mimi Z, Assi A (2009) Intrinsic vulnerability, hazard and risk mapping for karst aquifers: a case study. J Hydrol 364:298–310

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morris B, Foster S (1998) Cryptosporidium contamination hazard assessment and risk management for British groundwater sources. Water Sci Technol 41:67–77

    Google Scholar 

  • Nobre R, Filho O, Mansur W, Nobre M, Cosenza C (2007) Groundwater vulnerability and risk mapping using GIS, modelling and a fuzzy logic tool. J Contam Hydrol 94:277–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (2009).On the Eve of International Population Day11/7/2009. http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/PressRelease/population_dE.pdf. Accessed 15 Oct 2009

  • Pandey PK, Khare RN, Sharma R, Sar SK, Pandey M, Binayake P (1999) Arsenicosis and deteriorating groundwater quality: unfolding crisis in central-east Indian region. Curr Sci 77:686–693

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollock DW (1989) MODPATH—a computer program to complete and display path lines using results from MODFLOW. Open-file Report US Geological Survey.

  • Qahman AK, Larabi A (2003) Identification and modeling of seawater intrusion of the Gaza Strip aquifer, Palestine. In: Proceedings of TIAC03 international conference, Alicante, Spain. vol 1, pp 245-254

  • Shomar B, Müller G, Yahya A, Askar S, Sansur R (2004) Fluorides in groundwater, soil and infused black tea and the occurrence of dental fluorosis among school children of the Gaza Strip. Journal of Water and Health 2:23–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Shomar B, Osenbrück K, Yahya A (2008) Elevated nitrate levels in groundwater of the Gaza Strip: distribution and sources. Sci Total Environ 398:164–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United Nations (2003) Governing Council of the United Nations Environmental Programme Desk study of the environment in the occupied Palestinian territories; UNEP/GC.22/1

  • Wackernagel H, Lajaunie C, Blond N, Roth C, Vautard R (2004) Geostatistical risk mapping with chemical transport model of output and ozone station data. Ecol Model 179:177–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organisation (WHO) (1999) Health conditions of, and assistance to, the Arab population in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine. Fifty-Second World Health Assembly A52/Inf.Doc./3 Provisional agenda item 17. 3

  • World Health Organisation (WHO) (2004) Guidelines for drinking water quality recommendation. Third edition. World Health Organisation Report, Geneva; Volume 1: Recommendations

  • World Health Organisation (WHO) (2009) Water-related diseases. http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/diseases. Accessed 20 March 2009

  • Yakirevich A, Melloul A, Sorek S, Shaath S, Borisov V (1998) Simulation of seawater intrusion into the Khan Yunis area of the Gaza Strip coastal aquifer. Hydrogeol J 6:549–559

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu H, Charlet J, Poffijn A (2001) Radon risk mapping in southern Belgium: an application of geostatistical and GIS techniques. Sci Total Environ 272:203–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, 159 Dalton Street, Napier, 4110, New Zealand

    Husam Musa Baalousha

Authors
  1. Husam Musa Baalousha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Husam Musa Baalousha.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Baalousha, H.M. Mapping groundwater contamination risk using GIS and groundwater modelling. A case study from the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Arab J Geosci 4, 483–494 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-010-0135-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-010-0135-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation