Application of DC resistivity method for groundwater investigation, case study at West Nile Delta, Egypt

Abstract

New communities have been established in Egypt since 1990s. Among those are El Nubariya and El Bustan cities with associated land reclamation activities. These land reclamation projects are still having environmental implications. The main objective of this work is to delineate and detect one of these implications representing the rising of the groundwater level and related impacts along El-Nasr Canal and surroundings. It is evident that there is a remarkable change in groundwater level through monitoring of the groundwater level from 1960 to 2010. This is referred to the continuous recharge of the surface water from irrigation canals for reclamation activities. To achieve the objective of this work, 32 discrete vertical electrical soundings (VES) have been measured in the study area. 1-D/2-D data analysis are applied for covering the lack of hydrogeological information and for mapping the areas affected by this phenomenon. From the resistivity sounding results, it is observed that the groundwater mound is appeared northwest of El-Nasr Canal and along Cairo-Alexanderia desert road. This is attributed to the application of flood irrigation method in new reclaimed areas, bad management, unplanning of water resources, and the recharge of aquifer from the surface irrigation system.