Assessment of the Vulnerability of Groundwater to Biological Contamination in the Khartoum State, Sudan

• Published in: Nature environment and pollution technology Vol. 22; no. 4; pp. 2083 - 2091
• Main Authors: Abbas, H. B., Elmanssury, A. E., Dafaalla, S. A., Pasha, S. Arif
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Karad Technoscience Publications 01.12.2023
• Subjects: Aquifers; Biological contamination; Boreholes; Contamination; Criteria; Drinking water; E coli; Environmental health; Environmental law; Groundwater; Groundwater data; Groundwater recharge; groundwater, biological contamination, e. coli, drastic index; Soil conductivity; Soil contamination; Soil microorganisms; Soil properties; Soil testing; Soil texture; Soils; Texture; Water quality; Sudan
• ISSN: 2395-3454; 0972-6268; 2395-3454
• DOI: 10.46488/NEPT.2023.v22i04.033

This study aims to determine how vulnerable groundwater in Khartoum is to contamination. For this purpose, the DRASTIC Index idea was used. A descriptive cross-sectional analytical analysis is designed in this study. A total of 279 boreholes were sampled from a total of 1015 boreholes (27.5 percent). The following criteria were utilized to define the DRASTIC Index: depth, net recharge, aquifer media, soil texture, terrain, video media, and soil conductivity. Standard bacteriological test methodologies were used for groundwater. The biological data from the 279 boreholes revealed that total coliform, thermo-tolerant coliform, and E. coli were found in 34.4 percent, 18.6 percent, and 0.36 percent of the boreholes, respectively. Bacteriological contamination is common in Sharge Elnile, although only a few cases have been reported in Khartoum. According to the study, the bulk of boreholes in Khartoum State were built without any criteria. Many sources of contamination were discovered within a radius of less than 120 meters, which was deemed to violate Khartoum State’s Environmental Health Law of 2002. For this reason, bacteriological contamination is common in Sharge Elnile, although only a few cases have been reported in Khartoum.