Assessment of supportability, condition and the outlook for the groundwater resources use for drinking water supply in the West Kazakhstan region

Abstract

Today's global strategy to improve the reliability of drinking water supply systems is determined by the focus on maximizing the use of groundwater to provide the population with drinking water. In most cases, information about the availability, volume and quality of groundwater plays a decisive role in making decisions about the effectiveness of the development of a certain area, as well as the improvement and expansion of the physical environment and facilities necessary to support economic activity and meet the vital needs of the people of this region. Therefore, defining of the groundwater distribution, magnitude of its resources, quality and features of formation is crucial in the study of the hydrogeological conditions of the region.

An assessment of the groundwater resource potential of West Kazakhstan region was made to ensure sustainable drinking water supply of the population. When assessing the characteristics of fresh groundwater hydrogeological, hydrogeochemical, geoinformation-analytical, statistical and laboratory research methods (including chromatographic, spectrophotometric, atomic absorption, etc.) were used. Such evaluation of the resource potential of fresh groundwater and the prospects for its use for the water supply of cities and towns will make it possible to identify areas with high, medium and poor groundwater supply, and this, in turn, will make it possible to find new sources to cover the needs of domestic and drinking water supply, which will contribute to the sustainable socio-economic development of the West Kazakhstan region.