PREDICTION OF PROTECTIVE CAPACITY OF THE NUBIAN AQUIFER USING ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY METHOD IN BAHRI CITY, SUDAN

Abstract

This research employed electrical resistivity method to determine the protective capacity of groundwater aquifers in Bahri city. The protective capacity predicts the vulnerability of aquifers to surface and subsurface contamination. In this study, vertical electrical sounding (VES) technique using Schlumberger array was conducted to determine the thicknesses of the subsurface layers. The VES measurements and borehole lithological logs were jointly interpreted to decrease the uncertainty of the resulting models. Consequently, five geoelectrical layers including two aquifers were indicated. The product of VES models including true resistivity and thickness used to measure the Dar Zarrouk parameters. The total longitudinal conductance and transverse resistance were used to detect the protective strength and thus the vulnerability of groundwater aquifers. In general, the protective capacity of the overburdened sediments ranged from good to very good. Accordingly, the aquifer in the study region is indicated as naturally protected and ideal for groundwater extraction. However, a comprehensive groundwater quality investigation is recommended for the safe use of groundwater for human consumption.