Groundwater for Human Consumption in Karst Environment: Vulnerability, Protection, and Management

Karst aquifers are an essential source of water supply; therefore the need to protect karst groundwater against the deterioration of its quality due to human activities is unquestionable. For this reason, it is necessary to integrate and reconcile the safeguards of its quality with both socioeconomic activities and land-use planning for a certain region. In this sense, intrinsic vulnerability to pollution is a useful tool to establish protective measures in karst aquifers characterized by their heterogeneity, along with other criteria.