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Abstract:
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"The Darb el-Arbain study area is in the southern
Western Desert of Egypt and has been attracting increasing
developmental interest in the last few decades,
especially since agricultural development of the southern
Baris area, where the groundwater resources of the Nubian
Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) have been utilized for
the cultivation of valuable lands. Due to the proven high
potential of both groundwater and land resources, determining
the priority areas for sustainable hydrogeological
development becomes a necessity. A geographic information
system, as a platform for geospatial modeling
techniques, has been built, which depends on the recently
collected data about the NSAS, in addition to the published
databases. Certain criteria of practical value, like depth to
groundwater, hydraulic conductivity, groundwater salinity,
sodium adsorption ratio, and the safe yield of wells, were
selected as decisive parameters for hydrogeological prioritization.
The model pinpoints areas characterized by
favorable hydrogeological conditions, which could be used
for future development and implementation of an artificial
storage and recovery (ASR) program. The designated
priority areas for hydrogeological development occur at
the southern, middle southern and some localized northern
parts of the Darb el-Arbain area. The newly formed Tushka
Lakes represent a suitable and excellent natural source of
freshwater for implementing an ASR program."
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