ABSTRACT
Anthropogenic land surface activities, such as agriculture and industrialization, can have a deleterious impact on water quality in shallow aquifers and therefore limit the amount of water available at any location. This
CONTENTS
14.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 249 14.2 Methodology ......................................................................................... 252
14.2.1 Fuzzy Sets and Fuzzy Numbers ............................................. 252 14.2.2 Fuzzy Mathematics ................................................................... 252 14.2.3 Fuzzy Aquifer Vulnerability Characterization .................... 254 14.2.4 Defuzzi‰cation of the Composite Fuzzy Vulnerability
Index ........................................................................................... 254 14.3 Illustrative Case Study ......................................................................... 255
14.3.1 Study Area and Data Compilation ......................................... 255 14.3.2 Development of Fuzzy Ratings and Weights ....................... 255 14.3.3 Model Implementation ............................................................. 258
14.4 Results and Discussion ........................................................................ 260 14.4.1 Exact and Approximate Fuzzy Arithmetic Schemes for
Vulnerability Calculations ....................................................... 260 14.4.2 Comparison of Fuzzy and Crisp DRASTIC Maps ............... 261
14.5 Conclusions ............................................................................................ 263 Acknowledgments ......................................................................................... 265 References ........................................................................................................ 266
recognition of the interlinkages between land-use activities and groundwater quality has led to the concept of aquifer vulnerability. Very broadly, aquifer vulnerability is de‰ned as the susceptibility of aquifer to pollution from human activities (NRC 1993; Gogu and Dassargues 2000; Connell and van den Daele 2003). Therefore, delineation of aquifer vulnerability is vital to protect groundwater resources and facilitate environmentally sustainable development.
