ASSESSMENT OF GROUND WATER VULNERABILITY TO CONTAMINATION OF BHAVNAGAR DISTRICT USING DRASTIC METHOD

Abstract

Groundwater vulnerability is foundation stone for evaluating the risk for ground water contamination and
developing management options to preserve the quality of ground water. The concept of ground water vulnerability is based
on the assumption that the physical environment may provide some degree of protection for groundwater against human
activities as well as natural contamination. The main objective of this study to find out the ground water vulnerable zone in
Bhavnagar district using the DRASTIC model in a geographical information system environment. Determination of DRASTIC
Index involves multiplying each parameter weight by its site rating and summing the total. On the basis of DRASTIC index
values, a ground water vulnerability map was prepared using Arc GIS 10.2 Based on the results of the GW vulnerability
assessment, the study area was divided into three zones: Low vulnerable zones ranging from 10 to 100 DRASTIC index with a
geographical area of about 1% ; moderate vulnerable zones ranging from 101 to 150 with 59% geographical area and high
vulnerable zones with DRASTIC index ranging from 151 to 194 with 40%.geographical area.