KARST Groundwater Risk Assessment in Siargao Island, Philippines towards Sustainable Groundwater Resource Management

Arbe A. Ferreras, PhD
htpps://orcid.org/0009-0002-5887-6104
arbeferreras@gmail.com
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Mines and Geosciences Bureau – Central Office
North Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54476/apjaet/46083

                                                                                          Abstract

The Philippines is known for its karst landscapes, comprising about 10% of the total land area. Due to the inherent characteristics of karst, groundwater quality is easily degraded by natural and anthropogenic factors. This research addresses a critical need for sustainable groundwater management in Siargao Island, a region facing escalating threats to its groundwater resources. More so, the methodologies generally consist of data collection, data analysis and interpretation, and formulation of a groundwater resource framework. The Pearson correlation, principal component analysis, and chi-square statistics were performed using open-source software for statistical computation. Study revealed that the risk to the Karst groundwater system is influenced by natural processes, geological features and land use influence groundwater quality. Groundwater resources in karst are highly vulnerable to anthropogenic contamination and saltwater intrusion due to numerous fractures and a network of cavities in the limestone.

Keywords: karst, risk assessment, groundwater resource framework, aquifer management plan, sustainability, Siargao Island

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