A GIS based drastic model for assessing groundwater vulnerability in shallow aquifer in berrechid area, Morocco

During the last years, groundwater quality has been deteriorated in many parts of Morocco due to agricultural expansion, solid waste disposal and industrialization. This study presents an assessment of the vulnerability of Berrechid aquifer. The study of vulnerability involves evaluating the sensitivity of the resource of any kind of polluting elements emerging from soil surface and focusing on the physical characteristics of the area in question. GIS and model DRASTIC was used to assess vulnerability. The results got show that the area studied consists of three categories of vulnerability, higher DRASTIC index appear in areas when water is shallow and in areas not protected by quaternary clays, namely north, north-west and south-east parts of regions studied. While areas with low vulnerability are located, where clay is thicker and water deeper.