Groundwater deterioration in Akhmim District, Upper Egypt: A Remote Sensing and GIS investigation approach

Groundwater has a special significance in Akhmim area as it is used mainly in various purposes. However, groundwater is currently threatened by pollution from different sources. Therefore, detailed field investigations, in addition to Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing techniques are integrated to study the main sources of deterioration in groundwater quality and proposing practical solutions for mitigation and remediation. Based on the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) and physicochemical analysis of groundwater samples, areas that contribute to groundwater deterioration have been identified. The results showed that the main causes of groundwater deterioration are the use of sewage rooms and injection wells to get rid of sewage especially in rural areas and scattered settlements, discharging liquid industrial wastes into the ground without proper treatment, the random exploitation of groundwater, and the use of wastewater in agriculture in a random manner. The results of the physicochemical analysis of groundwater samples confirmed the sources of deterioration identified by satellite images and field studies. To avoid groundwater degradation, strict restrictions need to be applied on the use of untreated or treated wastewater for irrigation, sewage networks have to be established in all residential areas, and factories must treat wastewater before discharging it.