CONTRIBUTION TO THE CARTOGRAPHY OF THE GROUNDWATER QUALITY OF THE URBAN GROUP OF TLEMCEN (ALGERIA)

Abstract

The existence of any kind of living is related to the presence of water. The qualitative degradation of this resource, and mainly the one underground, was observed in several cases.

The pollution represents a serious problem for the environment and groundwater. This is notably in the most vulnerable zones, which constitutes, in first, a public health problem and in a second degree, an alarming environmental problem. This pollution comes primarily from the rejections of unpurified domestic waters, industrial waste waters and irrational use of manure and pesticides in agriculture.

The north western part ofAlgeriacontains a groundwater resource of a major importance for the social and economical developments of the area. This resource contributes largely to the satisfaction of the needs of drinking water, as well as agricultural and industrial waters. It represents in many districts and cities the only available source of water because of the scarcity or the inexistence of surface water resources.

However, the quality and the quantity of this inheritance are daily threatened. For this reason, this work enlightens a contribution for a better knowledge of the quality of the groundwater in the urban group of Tlemcen, by the application of the geographical information system.