Author(s)

Yawar Hussain¹, Sadia Fida Ullah², Muhammad Babar Hussain³, Hernan Martinez-Carvajal^1,4, Abdul Qayyum Aslam⁵

¹Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil.
²Department of Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil.
³Department of Theoretical and Astrophysics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
⁴Department of Civil Engineering, National University of Colombia at Medellín, Medellín, Colombia.
⁵College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

Rapid and poorly managed agricultural landuse in Punjab plain is a major contention in groundwater quality deterioration. This study is focused on the determination of groundwater vulnerability potential of vadose material using geo-electrical method. Total of eight electrical resistivity soundings with Schlumberger electrode configuration are taken near Khizarabad Dairy Form, district Sargodha. The instrument ABEM Terrameter SAS 300 is used for data acquisition. The quantitative interpretation is done by 1D modelling of resistivity soundings by using IX1D software. The results characterize the area into three geo-electrical layers as dry alluvium (15.7 - 32.4 Ωm), saturated alluvium with high resistivity (10 - 20 Ωm) and low resistivity (>10 Ωm). Aquifer vulnerability is assessed by calculating Dar Zarrouk parameter (Longitudinal Conductance) and thickness of vadose zone. Resultant vulnerability is divided into three zones as low (>3.8 siemens) moderate (1.6 - 2.5 siemens) and high (<1.6 siemens). It is concluded from this study that Vertical Resistivity Sounding (VES) can be used for vulnerability assessment of an unconfined sandy alluvial aquifer from agricultural contaminants.

Electrical Sounding, Vulnerability, Dar Zarrouk Parameter, Groundwater, Khizarabad Dairy, Sargodha

Hussain, Y. , Ullah, S. , Hussain, M. , Martinez-Carvajal, H. and Aslam, A. (2016) Protective Capacity Assessment of Vadose Zone Material by Geo-Electrical Method: A Case Study of Pakistan. International Journal of Geosciences, 7, 716-725. doi: 10.4236/ijg.2016.75055.