Groundwater Vulnerability Evaluation in the Nineveh Plain, Northern Iraq, using a GIS-based DRASTIC Model

Abstract

The goal of this study is to determine the vulnerability of groundwater in northern Iraq's Nineveh Plain by utilizing the DRASTIC method and geographic information systems (GIS). In the context of human or environmental systems, vulnerability refers to the potential for harm as a result of stress or disturbance, it may be related to a particular system, hazard, or group of hazards. The vulnerability map includes three vulnerability categories: very low, low, and medium. Following the results of the spatial analysis, it can be concluded that the southern and northeastern portions of the study area have been the most vulnerable to contamination under the medium vulnerability group. According to statistics acquired by removing one DRASTIC element at a time and analyzing the effect on the calculated vulnerability index, the impact of the vadose zone is the most sensitive factor (the mean value is 3.00). The aquifer type, topography, and hydraulic conductivity all have the same mean value of 1.5. The soil factor has a mean value of 0.5, making it the least effective. The research recommends the necessity of using groundwater vulnerability maps in the process of planning future lands and the protection of the Nineveh Plain area from pollution.