DRASTIC, GOD, and SI approaches for assessing groundwater vulnerability to pollution: a review

Abstract

Over the last three to four decades, several methods for assessing groundwater vulnerability to anthropogenic pollution have been developed. Researchers and policymakers have widely used these methods for preventing groundwater pollution through knowledge about particularly vulnerable areas. This systematic review presents different and significant methods for assessing the vulnerability of aquifers for the protection of the resource. Previous studies mentioned that formulating a single technique for assessing groundwater vulnerability is difficult; thus, different methods and techniques have been proposed. Therefore, this paper presents three methods, namely, DRASTIC, GOD, and susceptibility index (SI), which will be discussed in detail, and highlights their advantages and limitations. In doing so, the study introduces the concept of aquifer vulnerability, and further discussion will be devoted to the three methods. Lastly, the study outlines the major challenges to the assessment of aquifer vulnerability. The review concludes the importance of groundwater vulnerability and strategies for preserving its quality.