Method for systematic and automatized data capturing of hydrogeological information, for provision of safe drinking water and sustainable groundwater management

The SASMIT protocol, based on the relation between arsenic (As) in groundwater and color of sediments, has previously been developed in Matlab, SE Bangladesh. The current study aimed to investigate the potentialities of a digital platform for collecting hydrogeological data with a mobile app/software called ASMITAS, automatically transferring data to the GeoGIS 2020 system – used for managing and analyzing hydrogeological data for the study area Daudkandi, Bangladesh. Detailed sediment characteristics, groundwater pressure heads and As concentrations, according to the SASMIT protocol, was collected from 5 piezometer nests (23 piezometer) for the aquifer delineation analysis. Three main aquifer systems i.e. Shallow, Intermediate and Deep, were identified with characteristic As concentrations. Oxidized brown sediments were identified and safe aquifers for the installation of drinking water tube wells could be outlined. The integration of the digital platform for data collection, and it's management including the post-processing can enhance the decision-making capabilities for arsenic mitigation at national and local level as well as for producing sustainable groundwater management strategies. Furthermore, providing information transparent at local as well as national level will ensure accountability of decision makers at all levels and may be an efficient tool for combating elite capturing of safe drinking wells.