Hydrogeophysical assessment of aquifer vulnerability in some parts of Amawbia and its environs, south east, Nigeria

Abstract

The rapid increase in the population of Amawbia has led to a growing demand for groundwater resources. This increase has necessitated the evaluation of aquifer protective capacity in order to protect it from contamination. The electrical resistivity measurements were used to assess the aquifer protective capacity of Amawbia. Vertical electrical sounding data were collected at four locations and the interpretation was done using Winresist software. The result revealed that the lithology of the area comprised mainly of laterite, clayey sand, shale, dry sand and saturated sand. The longitudinal conductance was computed using the resistivity and thickness values obtained from the interpreted data to evaluate the protective capacity. The protective capacity values ranged from 0.0081 to 1.3486 mhos. The results further revealed that most of the areas investigated are vulnerable to groundwater contamination.