Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

GROUNDWATER VULNERABILITY AND QUALITY ASSESSMENT USING ANALYTICAL HIERARCHY PROCESS

S. Ajith Kumar and R. Vidhya

Abstract

Nowadays, sustainable management of water resources, the prediction of the pollution risk and the protection of these resources have crucial importance. A methodology is proposed for identification of groundwater vulnerability for prediction of pollution risk and quality for protection based on analytical hierarchy process. Vulnerability and Quality Index are arrived at by collecting data about DRASTIC parameters and most common drinking water parameters tested in the lab as point data information, using a reference table arrived at by implementing the analytical hierarchy process methodology. Now, if we collect data about number of sparsely distributed locations on a regional scale we could prepare the Vulnerability map and Quality Index map of the region by interpolating the data using the interpolation techniques available in Geo statistics, results should be useful in designing aquifer protection and management strategies.