GIS-based spatio-temporal and geostatistical analysis of groundwater parameters of Lahore region Pakistan and their source characterization

Assessment of groundwater quality is critical, especially in the areas where it is continuously deteriorating due to unplanned industrial growth. This study utilizes GIS-based spatio-temporal and geostatistical tools to characterize the groundwater quality parameters of Lahore region. For this purpose, a large data set of the groundwater quality parameters (for a period of 2005–2016) was obtained from the deep unconfined aquifers. GIS-based water quality index (WQI) and entropy water quality index (EWQI) models were prepared using 15 water quality parameters pH (power of hydrogen), TDS (Total dissolve solids), EC (Electrical conductivity), TH (Total hardness), Ca 2+ (Calcium), Mg 2+ (Magnesium), Na + (Sodium), K + (Potassium), Cl − (Chloride), As (Arsenic), F (Fluoride), Fe (Iron), HCO 3 – (Bicarbonate), NO 3 − (Nitrate), and SO 4 2− (Sulfate). The data analysis exhibits that 12% of the groundwater samples fell within the category of poor quality that helped to identify the permanent epicenters of deteriorating water quality index in the study area. As per the entropy theory, Fe, NO 3 − , K, F, SO 4 2− and As, are the major physicochemical parameters that influence groundwater quality. The spatio-temporal analysis of the large data set revealed an extreme behavior in pH values along the Hudiara drain, and overall high arsenic concentration levels in most of the study area. The geochemical analysis shows that the groundwater chemistry is strongly influence by subsurface soil water interaction. The research highlights the significance of using GIS-based spatio-temporal and geostatistical tools to analyze the large data sets of physicochemical parameters at regional level for the detailed source characterization studies.