Risk assessment of groundwater contamination and usage restrictions zoning in Tay Ninh province

Abstract

The upper-middle Pleistocene (qp2-3) aquifer in Tay Ninh province is the primary source of supply for drinking and domestic purposes. In this study, the risk of contamination (RC) was calculated and zoned considering groundwater vulnerability assessment (GOD) and contamination danger index (POSH) in the GIS environment. At the same time, to zone the groundwater quality according to the purpose of use, the study applied the groundwater quality index (GWQI) from the analysis results of 60 water samples in the study area. The results show that the risk of contamination is divided into 3 zones: low, medium, and high, accounting for 63.9%, 26.9%, and 9.1% of the distribution area of the upper-middle Pleistocene aquifer, respectively. The study shows that agricultural areas have a high risk of contamination, while industrial areas have a medium risk of contamination. This result is considered an important tool to support managers in protecting, controlling pollution, limiting exploitation and use activities, and sustainably managing groundwater.