Review of Risk Assessment and Mitigation Measures of Coastal Aquifers Vulnerable to Saline Water Intrusion

Abstract

The extent of risk is the key measure of sustainable performance of engineering and natural systems and coastal aquifers are no exceptions. Aquifers in the coastal regions are vulnerable to saltwater intrusion (SWI) that attributes to the degradation of freshwater quality in the aquifers. The major factors that influence saline water intrusion are sea level rise due to climate change and the impact of human activities. The water quality erodes rapidly when these factors act simultaneously. Abstraction Desalinization Recharge (ADR) and Qanat-well structure methods are found to be effective methods to mitigate the risk in terms of cost and abstraction of groundwater in specific regions without intensifying saltwater intrusion. Risk management studies are useful to assess the vulnarabilty and economic loss involved in coastal aquifer management. In this paper, a review of risk assessment and mitigation measures of coastal aquifers vulnerable to saltwater intrusion is presented.