Assessment of groundwater potential zones using an integration of Remote Sensing, GIS and 2D Electrical Resistivity imaging in the Echway watershed, Baro River Basin, Southwest Ethiopia

Abstract

The objective of this study is to delineate and identify the groundwater potential zone of degraded land in the Echway watershed, southwest Ethiopia, employing a combined approach that includes 2D electrical resistivity, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS). Using a geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing data, groundwater potential zones were identified by taking into account the soil types, drainage density, geology, lineament density, Land use and land cover, rainfall and slope. Using the AHP method, calculate the weight of thematic layers and rank of subclasses based on the effects of various thematic layers on groundwater potential. A significant weight was provided on the geology of the research region, total annual rainfall, and lineament density. Due to significant effects on groundwater potential zones, only three of the seven theme levels were assigned significant weight in this analysis. The weighted overlay analysis was used to construct the diagram of the zones with groundwater potential. 2D electrical resistivity was utilized to find the groundwater aquifer, and four major electrical layers were discovered: clayey silt, sand, moderately weathered/fractured rock, and basement parent rock. The groundwater potential zones in the study area have been classified into five categories: very low (22.97%), low (13.43%), moderate (32.50%), high (25.12%), and very high (5.98%) covered, respectively. The groundwater potential zone image was created by combining GIS, remote sensing, AHP, and an electrical survey