Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System based Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment in Kanyakumari District, South India

Water is one of the most important substances on earth. Two- thirds of the earth’s surface is covered with water. The aim of the current study was to use remote sensing GIS technology to assess groundwater contamination and vulnerability in the Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu, India. Due to industrial and agricultural activity, the main stream of the study area is extremely polluted. To analyses groundwater contamination, the DRASTIC parameters, depth to groundwater (D), net groundwater recharge (R), aquifer media (A), soil media (S), topography (T), influence of the vadose zone (I) and hydraulic conductivity (C) were used. Based on past research, these criteria were awarded a rank and weight. After combining the parameters, the final result was classified into five groups: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high vulnerability. The chloride content in groundwater was used to verify the groundwater vulnerability map. According to the findings, about 42% of the research region suffers from high to extremely severe groundwater contamination. The DRASTIC index ranks vulnerability from very low to very high, with very low vulnerability areas scoring 2%, low scoring 21.42%, moderate scoring 44.79%, high scoring 28.01%, and very highly vulnerable areas scoring 3.79%. Only 3.79 % of the land was found to be in the high vulnerability zone (DRASTIC index values between 138 and 175), and this was concentrated in the middle of the research region. Not surprisingly, the areas of highest industrial activity and population density also have the highest quantities of Cl in nearby wells. Due to their hydrogeological location and inappropriate agricultural practice, the central areas of the research region are more at risk of groundwater contamination, as shown by the results. The final findings will aid in the correct management and development of the study area’s accessible groundwater resources.