A RESEARCH ON DETERMINATION OF VULNERABLE LANDSCAPES IN TERMS OF GROUNDWATER: DUZCE CASE, TURKEY

Abstract

WOS: 000467668200030Water is one of the main sources of life and its continuation depends on the availability of usable water. This study was carried out to determine the vulnerable landscape in terms of groundwater resources. The study was conducted in Duzce district which has quite rich water resources, and provides water to Istanbul, Turkey's most populous city, but is threatened by settlement, industry and agricultural development. Water process analysis method was used in the study. Water process analysis aims to reveal the movement of precipitation water in vegetation cover, soil and rock layers and convert them into spatial data. Within the scope of this method, slope, soil, rock and vegetation cover criteria were evaluated, and water infiltration status was mapped according to five criteria (very high, high, moderate, low, very low). It was revealed that % 0.4 of the water infiltration map area has very high, %13.1 high, %70.2 moderate, %14.6 low and %1.8 very low infiltration value. These findings show that %83.7 of the area (at infiltration, very high, high and moderate values) are vulnerable to feeding and protection of groundwater resources. Protection and improvement of green areas for feeding groundwater resources; avoiding structural surfaces changes; preventing or reducing the area usage of agriculture, industry, settlement, solid waste storage etc. activities to prevent pollution; and switching to clean production/eco-efficiency, ecotourism, ecological farming etc. is important in these vulnerable landscapes. As a result, the water infiltration map obtained in the study is a practical data that can contribute to many studies, especially in the upper scale spatial plans