GIS BASED APPROACH FOR EVALUATING GROUND WATER POLLUTION POTENTIAL

Abstract

Due to increase in population and improvement of life style, demand for water is increasing day by day. Groundwater is a dependable source of water. Quality in addition to the quantity is an important parameter in the selection of suitable site for groundwater development. The protection of ground water quality is an issue confronting much of the world's population. The potential for groundwater contamination to occur at any given geographic location depends upon a wide range of physical and environmental variables. Therefore, identification, detection, monitoring and abatement of groundwater pollution in any fonn other than digital is very complex, costly and difficult. Data reaquired for groundwater pollution are either not available or not sufficient. Integrated use of remote sensing and GIS can help in solving many problems related to evaluation of groundwater pollution potential (GWPP). Remote sensing helps in generating the required data for carrying out the study. GIS is rapidly evolving suite of technologies that consist of computer-based programs containing specialized algorithm and associated Data Base Management structures, frequently in an integrated package. These systems are expressly designed to store information about the location, topology and attributes of spatially referenced objects and can provide many data-base quaries tied to spatially referenced objects and their associated attributes. The present study deals with groundwater pollution, its sources, its control and its evaluation by integrated use of remote sensing and GIS. The GWPP has been evaluated on the basis of site's physical and chemical characteristics. Various themes have been integrated through a weightage scheme. It has been found that the integrated use of remote sensing and GIS has potential for evaluation of GWPP.