Application of geoinformation technologies and remote sensing of the Earth to assess the impact of aridity of the territory on the water quality of small rivers

Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the work for preventive medicine is due to the need to assess the impact of climate aridity on the hygienic safety of drinking water. The aim of the work is to determine the influence of the degree of aridity of the arid regions of Russia on the hygienic safety of drinking water prepared from surface water sources. Materials and methods. The objects of the study are the water of small rivers located in the arid regions of the Saratov Region and the Republic of Bashkortostan. The content of pollutants in water was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry, spectrophotometry, and potentiometry. Satellite images for the implementation of remote sensing of the Earth are obtained in the geoinformation catalogue earthexplorer.usgs.gov. Image processing and mapping of the studied territories was carried out using the QGIS program, version 3.12.3. Results. Using the method of remote sensing of the Earth, it was revealed for the first time that the low-arid regions of the Republic of Bashkortostan correspond to positive NDMI values. In contrast, the areas of the Saratov region are characterized by negative NDMI values. For the first time, a statistically significant correlation has been established between the hygienic hazard caused by polluting chemicals in water, typical for arid territories and the change in the aridity index NDMI. Biogenic nitrogen, iron, and manganese make the most significant contribution to the formation of the non-carcinogenic danger of small river waters in the conditions of climate warming. Conclusion. We have shown for the first time using the remote sensing method of the Earth that low-arid regions of the Republic of Bashkortostan correspond to low positive values of the aridity index NDMI than for the areas of the Saratov region characterized by negative NDMI values. For the first time, a correlation was established between an increase in the degree of aridity of arid areas of Russia and an increase in non-carcinogenic health risk due to the use of drinking water prepared from surface water sources.