Groundwater Risk Intensity Map through Modified DRASTIC Model in the Rania Basin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Protecting groundwater as the most effective tool in managing water resources has recently drawn the attention it deserves. This project attempts to prepare groundwater’s risk intensity index map by combining hazard and intrinsic vulnerability maps. The place of concern is the basin of Rania, located in Iraq's Kurdistan region. The very low and low vulnerability index covered (31.7 %) and (42.5 %) of the basin, while medium and high covered (24 %) and (1.7 %). Hazard maps of the studied basin helped to identify around 17 hazard sources of point, line, and polygon types. The classified hazard map and the lineament-DRASTIC index map were then combined by the European approach technique (COST Action 620) to create a Risk Intensity Index (RII) map, based on which the region was divided into five classes. The majority revealed no, very low, or low-risk levels, whereas high and moderate risk levels only covered a small portion of the studied area. However, the most considerable portion (51.5%) is classed as low risk followed by (31.9%) as moderate risk. In comparison, the risk in 5.6% of the area is deficient, leaving only (10.8%) for high and (0.2%) for the very high categories. All assessment results were calibrated using measured Nitrate concentration. Different vulnerability zones produced by both standard and modified DRASTIC models reflected a progressive increase in Nitrate level.