Contribution to the study of groundwater quality and validation of their vulnerabilities to pollution using GIS. Case of the Plio-Pleistocene aquifer of the Essaouira syncline - Morocco

Abstract

Abstract In coastal areas, groundwater is the main source of consumption for drinking water, industry and agriculture. The Essaouira syncline is part of the Moroccan Atlantic coast, it is an area which is given a heavy responsibility in the socio-economic development of Morocco. The study area is limited to the north by the Jbeb Hadid, to the south by the Tidzi river, to the east by the reliefs of the South Chiadma, the reliefs of the North Haha and the diapir of the Tidzi, and to the West by the 'Atlantic Ocean. In this article, we have tried to study the quality of groundwater by applying multi-criteria methods and to validate the pollution vulnerability map established by the DRASTIC method. The combination of GIS and multi-criteria analysis confirms the validity of the DRASTIC map with a better correlation between areas with high concentrations of chemical elements in groundwater and areas of very high vulnerability to pollution.