Assessment of potential groundwater Zones in the drought-prone Harawa catchment, Somali region, eastern Ethiopia using geospatial and AHP techniques

Abstract

Groundwater is essential for the sustainable growth of society, economy, and agriculture. Identifying potential zones for groundwater is required to fulfill the needs of various sectors. This study aims to identify prospective groundwater zones in the drought-prone Harawa catchment area of the Somali region of eastern Ethiopia using geospatial and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) approaches. Eight significant groundwater regulating variables were developed by combining primary and remote sensing data, and AHP analysis was performed to identify groundwater prospect zones. The findings of the prospective groundwater zone model were categorized into four groups: very low, low, moderate, and high. Approximately 14.2% of the research area was recognized as having high potential, 24.0% as having moderate potential, and 38.7% and 23.2% as having very low and low potentials, respectively. Groundwater prospect maps were examined and confirmed using the discharge data from numerous production wells in the study region. The results demonstrated a strong correlation or agreement with the yield data. The curve approach was cross-validated with the area, revealing an 81.7% correlation between the model findings and the water well points. The sensitivity analysis showed that lithology, land use/land cover, and rainfall significantly impacted groundwater occurrence. In contrast, the slope of the study region had little effect.