Assessing Groundwater Resources Vulnerability with the New DRASTIC-LP: A Case Study in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

Groundwater vulnerability has gained widespread attention, particularly in Chiang Mai Province, one of Thailand’s fastest-growing cities, which is experiencing rapid development in both economic and social sectors. The expansion of urban communities and the industrial, tourism, and agriculture secto...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chaiyathat Imsamranrat, Adisorn Leelasantitham
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-02-01
Series:Water
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/4/547
_version_ 1797296778687545344
author Chaiyathat Imsamranrat
Adisorn Leelasantitham
author_facet Chaiyathat Imsamranrat
Adisorn Leelasantitham
author_sort Chaiyathat Imsamranrat
collection DOAJ
description Groundwater vulnerability has gained widespread attention, particularly in Chiang Mai Province, one of Thailand’s fastest-growing cities, which is experiencing rapid development in both economic and social sectors. The expansion of urban communities and the industrial, tourism, and agriculture sectors has resulted in the overutilization of available resources, notably water resources. This overuse, coupled with the adoption of modern technology to boost productivity and meet market demands, has led to an increased reliance on groundwater to supplement surface water sources, providing benefits across all sectors. However, the economic and social growth plays a pivotal role in shaping the diversity of land use, encompassing residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural activities. These activities, in turn, directly contribute to environmental pollution, particularly in terms of the risk of groundwater contamination in Chiang Mai Province. This study aims to predict the future vulnerabilities of groundwater resources under an ensemble of climate change scenarios and changes in land-use patterns. Chiang Mai Province in northern Thailand is one of the fastest-growing cities and therefore is experiencing rapid urbanization, as well as land-use pattern changes, which was important for the case study. The new DRASTIC model, namely the DRASTIC-LP model, combined with GIS-based techniques and overlay techniques, was used to generate the map of groundwater resource vulnerabilities. A point pollution source (P)-related land-use pattern (L) that represents contamination impacts was considered an additional new DRASTIC parameter. The study’s findings reveal the high reliability and maximum effectiveness of the new DRASTIC-LP model in assessing groundwater vulnerability and contamination-risk areas under a climate change scenario (by MIROC-ESM-CHEM model under RCP.8.5 scenario) and land-use pattern changes (by CA_Markov Chian Model) for both the current year (2020) and the next 50-year period (2021–2070). Furthermore, the new DRASTIC-LP model is employed to trace the movement of pollutants from high- to very high-risk areas based on the groundwater vulnerability and contamination-risk maps. The results highlight that waste disposal dumping sites pose a more critical distribution and movement of pollutants when compared to industrial sites. Additionally, unconsolidated aquifers and cracked consolidated rock aquifers show a potentially higher occurrence of pollutant distribution and movement when compared to consolidated aquifers. Consequently, the study’s outcomes are applied to formulate guidelines for the management and control of groundwater resource contamination. These guidelines serve as valuable tools for decision makers, aiding in pollution prevention and the effective management of contamination risks in groundwater resources.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T22:09:44Z
format Article
id doaj.art-06ea2230b76c407a9b7071fa4053721a
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2073-4441
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T22:09:44Z
publishDate 2024-02-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Water
spelling doaj.art-06ea2230b76c407a9b7071fa4053721a2024-02-23T15:37:55ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412024-02-0116454710.3390/w16040547Assessing Groundwater Resources Vulnerability with the New DRASTIC-LP: A Case Study in Chiang Mai Province, ThailandChaiyathat Imsamranrat0Adisorn Leelasantitham1Technology of Information System Management Division, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, 25/25 Phutthamonthon Sai 4 Road, Salaya, Phutthamonthon, Nakhon Pathom 73170, ThailandTechnology of Information System Management Division, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, 25/25 Phutthamonthon Sai 4 Road, Salaya, Phutthamonthon, Nakhon Pathom 73170, ThailandGroundwater vulnerability has gained widespread attention, particularly in Chiang Mai Province, one of Thailand’s fastest-growing cities, which is experiencing rapid development in both economic and social sectors. The expansion of urban communities and the industrial, tourism, and agriculture sectors has resulted in the overutilization of available resources, notably water resources. This overuse, coupled with the adoption of modern technology to boost productivity and meet market demands, has led to an increased reliance on groundwater to supplement surface water sources, providing benefits across all sectors. However, the economic and social growth plays a pivotal role in shaping the diversity of land use, encompassing residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural activities. These activities, in turn, directly contribute to environmental pollution, particularly in terms of the risk of groundwater contamination in Chiang Mai Province. This study aims to predict the future vulnerabilities of groundwater resources under an ensemble of climate change scenarios and changes in land-use patterns. Chiang Mai Province in northern Thailand is one of the fastest-growing cities and therefore is experiencing rapid urbanization, as well as land-use pattern changes, which was important for the case study. The new DRASTIC model, namely the DRASTIC-LP model, combined with GIS-based techniques and overlay techniques, was used to generate the map of groundwater resource vulnerabilities. A point pollution source (P)-related land-use pattern (L) that represents contamination impacts was considered an additional new DRASTIC parameter. The study’s findings reveal the high reliability and maximum effectiveness of the new DRASTIC-LP model in assessing groundwater vulnerability and contamination-risk areas under a climate change scenario (by MIROC-ESM-CHEM model under RCP.8.5 scenario) and land-use pattern changes (by CA_Markov Chian Model) for both the current year (2020) and the next 50-year period (2021–2070). Furthermore, the new DRASTIC-LP model is employed to trace the movement of pollutants from high- to very high-risk areas based on the groundwater vulnerability and contamination-risk maps. The results highlight that waste disposal dumping sites pose a more critical distribution and movement of pollutants when compared to industrial sites. Additionally, unconsolidated aquifers and cracked consolidated rock aquifers show a potentially higher occurrence of pollutant distribution and movement when compared to consolidated aquifers. Consequently, the study’s outcomes are applied to formulate guidelines for the management and control of groundwater resource contamination. These guidelines serve as valuable tools for decision makers, aiding in pollution prevention and the effective management of contamination risks in groundwater resources.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/4/547climate changeland-use patterns changeGIS-based techniqueshigh-risk pollutantcontamination-risk map
spellingShingle Chaiyathat Imsamranrat
Adisorn Leelasantitham
Assessing Groundwater Resources Vulnerability with the New DRASTIC-LP: A Case Study in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand
Water
climate change
land-use patterns change
GIS-based techniques
high-risk pollutant
contamination-risk map
title Assessing Groundwater Resources Vulnerability with the New DRASTIC-LP: A Case Study in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand
title_full Assessing Groundwater Resources Vulnerability with the New DRASTIC-LP: A Case Study in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand
title_fullStr Assessing Groundwater Resources Vulnerability with the New DRASTIC-LP: A Case Study in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand
title_full_unstemmed Assessing Groundwater Resources Vulnerability with the New DRASTIC-LP: A Case Study in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand
title_short Assessing Groundwater Resources Vulnerability with the New DRASTIC-LP: A Case Study in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand
title_sort assessing groundwater resources vulnerability with the new drastic lp a case study in chiang mai province thailand
topic climate change
land-use patterns change
GIS-based techniques
high-risk pollutant
contamination-risk map
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/4/547
work_keys_str_mv AT chaiyathatimsamranrat assessinggroundwaterresourcesvulnerabilitywiththenewdrasticlpacasestudyinchiangmaiprovincethailand
AT adisornleelasantitham assessinggroundwaterresourcesvulnerabilitywiththenewdrasticlpacasestudyinchiangmaiprovincethailand