Application of Remote Sensing, GIS, and the SINTACS Method for the Assessment of Groundwater Vulnerability and Quality in the Mefou Watershed (Cameroon)

Application of Remote Sensing, GIS, and the SINTACS Method for the Assessment of Groundwater Vulnerability and Quality in the Mefou Watershed (Cameroon) | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Application of Remote Sensing, GIS, and the SINTACS Method for the Assessment of Groundwater Vulnerability and Quality in the Mefou Watershed (Cameroon) Ndjounguep Juscar¹, Amaya Adama, Monentyam Njoully Pascaline, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9608340/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Groundwater constitutes the primary source of domestic and agricultural water supply in the Mefou watershed, Centre Region, Cameroon. Rapid urban expansion, agricultural intensification, and inadequate sanitation infrastructure increasingly threaten its sustainability. This study integrates the SINTACS parametric model, Remote Sensing (RS), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess intrinsic and specific groundwater vulnerability, coupled with physicochemical and bacteriological quality analyses. Seven hydrogeological parameters (Depth to water, Effective infiltration, Vadose zone, Soil texture, Aquifer characteristics, Hydraulic conductivity, and Slope) were spatially analyzed and weighted under the SINTACS framework. Land use derived from Sentinel-2 imagery was incorporated to evaluate specific vulnerability to nitrates (NO₃⁻) and Escherichia coli. Results indicate that 58% of the watershed exhibits moderate vulnerability, 27% high vulnerability, and 8% very high vulnerability, primarily associated with shallow groundwater depths (<5 m), permeable lateritic soils, and fractured crystalline formations. Water quality analysis reveals nitrate concentrations exceeding WHO guidelines in 32% of sampled points and widespread bacteriological contamination in shallow wells. The Groundwater Quality Index (GWQI) classified 46% of samples as poor to very poor. The integration of SINTACS with RS–GIS proved effective for identifying priority protection zones. Immediate management measures are recommended in high-vulnerability urban–agricultural interfaces. Groundwater vulnerability SINTACS GIS Remote sensing Water quality Mefou watershed Cameroon Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9608340","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":634133292,"identity":"7f080d19-6e96-44fb-b0bc-ddb65023c112","order_by":0,"name":"Ndjounguep Juscar¹","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA30lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFCChAQog/kAkJCQIUULG4ghwUOMFhiDxwBMEtRgzp7w8DHvjtrEfumez69u1FjwMLAfProBnxbLngfJxrxnjifOnHN2m3XOMaDDeNLSbuDTYnAjIU2at+1Y4oYbuduMc9iAWiR4zIjTsv9GzjPjnH/Ea6lJ3CCRw/w4t40YLWceJBvObTtgPOPOMTPm3D4JHjaCfjmek/jgbVudbP/s5sefc77VyfGzHz6GVwswIhKAxGFgJDKwSYD4bPiVgwD7ASBRB9LC/IGw6lEwCkbBKBiJAAC4/UyF/bCC9AAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"University of Ngaoundere","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ndjounguep","middleName":"","lastName":"Juscar¹","suffix":""},{"id":634133296,"identity":"3185c9d9-20d7-4368-9917-c53c36dec0ae","order_by":1,"name":"Amaya Adama","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Ngaoundere","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Amaya","middleName":"","lastName":"Adama","suffix":""},{"id":634133298,"identity":"8eb2631b-13aa-4920-8c63-69c3463d433a","order_by":2,"name":"Monentyam Njoully Pascaline","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Ngaoundere","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Monentyam","middleName":"Njoully","lastName":"Pascaline","suffix":""},{"id":634133299,"identity":"f04e6ce3-9912-4421-8958-21f164fa1f1d","order_by":3,"name":"Kah Elvis","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Ngaoundere","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kah","middleName":"","lastName":"Elvis","suffix":""},{"id":634133304,"identity":"2900fb27-37ef-4c8c-86ea-65f82ce7ee1a","order_by":4,"name":"Ndjounguep Juscar","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Ngaoundere","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ndjounguep","middleName":"","lastName":"Juscar","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-05-04 12:23:40","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9608340/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9608340/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108497441,"identity":"7bd04318-a8b0-4c06-bc84-e220b0c92c64","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-05 10:13:26","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":920783,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"DraftpaperApplicationofRemoteSensingmfouok.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9608340/v1_covered_94b1c176-968f-4ace-bcb1-c694902dfd14.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Application of Remote Sensing, GIS, and the SINTACS Method for the Assessment of Groundwater Vulnerability and Quality in the Mefou Watershed (Cameroon)","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Groundwater vulnerability, SINTACS, GIS, Remote sensing, Water quality, Mefou watershed, Cameroon","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9608340/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9608340/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Groundwater constitutes the primary source of domestic and agricultural water supply in the Mefou watershed, Centre Region, Cameroon. 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