GROUNDWATER VULNERALITY ASSESSMENT USING ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY METHOD IN PARTS OF IKWERRE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, RIVERS STATE

Abstract

Potable  water is  essential for  survival of  both  mankind and   the  environment.  Groundwater  is  described  by  (Otutu  and  Oviri,   2010) as  water  that  occupied the  saturated  layers of  soil and rocks  (which  are  referred to  as  aquifers).  While  Ajuwai, (2013) emphasized  the  global  rise in development of  groundwater  sources  as  a result of  increased  demands  for  drinking  water, as  it  appears  to be  a more  reliable  source  as  reported  by  (Alibi, et al, 2010).  Aquifer  vulnerability  descried  the  comparative  assessment of  the  potential  exposure of  groundwater  as  a  result  of  anthropogenic  activities  to  contamination  (Thriumalaivesan,  et al., 2003) further   describes  it  as  a  qualitative  reflection of   the  natural  tendency  for  an aquifer to  be  affected by human  activities  from surfaces  such as   chemicals, dumpsites and  wastewater  discharge.   (Todd, 1980) further elucidates the extreme  difficulty in detecting and  controlling  subsurface  water   pollution.    Thus, aquifer   vulnerability  assessment  comes  in handy for  recognizing  and  mapping  areas  that  are  susceptible to  contamination resulting  from human  activities  (Eke,  et al., 2015).