Delineation of groundwater potential zone using geospatial tools and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in the state of Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Groundwater plays a vital role in global climate change and substantial human needs. However, the groundwater potential zone (GWPZ) delineation is essential for fulfilling livelihood needs. In recent years, studies based on geographic information systems (GIS) have acquired much attention in groundwater exploration. Thus, in order to determine the groundwater potential zone in the state of Uttarakhand, we employ a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) based analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model with overlay weighted linear combination approach in this study. For groundwater potential zone demarcation, nine thematic layers such as geology, geomorphology, LULC, drainage density, slope, rainfall, soil, TWI, and curvature were created using remote sensing (RS) images and conventional data for a geographic information system (GIS). Furthermore, the weight of the parameters has been determined using AHP technique and overlay analysis was determined using GIS tools. A thematic map was categorized as “very poor,” “poor,” “moderate,” “good,” “very good,” and “excellent” in order to determine the groundwater potential zone. According to the results, the area covered by the 'very poor' categories is 187.43 km2 (0.16 %) followed by 'poor' 2109.66 km2 (3.99 %), 'moderate' 29024.06 km2 (54.78 %), 'good' 15151.13 km2 (28.67 %), 'very good' 6537.19 km2 (12.37 %), and 'excellent' 814.84 km2 (1.55 %) with the accuracy of 89.9 %. The 'very poor' and 'moderate' groundwater potential zones were observed as 0.16 % and 54.78 %, respectively, and the possibility for GPZ gradually increased from the northeast to the southwest. The findings of this study have implications for future research on sustainable groundwater use, basin management of agriculture, and the link between groundwater and climate change.