Abstract
Groundwater plays an important role for socio-economic development of Comoro watershed in Timor Leste. Despite the significance of groundwater for sustainable development, it has not always been properly managed in the watershed. Therefore, this study seeks to identify groundwater potential zones in the Comoro watershed, using geographical information systems and remote sensing and analytic hierarchy process technique. The groundwater potential zones thus obtained were divided into five classes and validated with the recorded bore well yield data. It was found that the alluvial plain in the northwest along the Comoro River has very high groundwater potential zone which covers about 5.4 % (13.5 km2) area of the watershed. The high groundwater potential zone was found in the eastern part and along the foothills and covers about 4.8 % (12 km2) of the area; moderate zone covers about 2.0 % (5 km2) of the area and found in the higher elevation of the alluvial plain. The poor and very poor groundwater potential zone covers about 87.8 % (219.5 km2) of the watershed. The hilly terrain located in the southern and central parts of the study area has a poor groundwater potential zone due to higher degree of slope and low permeability of conglomerate soil type. The demarcation of groundwater potential zones in the Comoro watershed will be helpful for future planning, development and management of the groundwater resources.
Highlights
The majority of the coastal areas of Timor Leste depend on groundwater as a vital natural resource and trustworthy water supply in urban and rural areas
The application of geospatial technology, remote sensing, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique is demonstrated as the best tools for the identification of groundwater potential zones in the Comoro watershed
The present study demarcates the potential zones for groundwater occurrences by analyzing several thematic layer maps as influencing factors
Summary
The majority of the coastal areas of Timor Leste depend on groundwater as a vital natural resource and trustworthy water supply in urban and rural areas. Groundwater accounts for more than 60 % of the total annual water supply for agriculture, domestic, and industrial purposes in the Dili city which is the capital of the country (Aurecon Australia 2012). Rapid population growth combined with increasing demand of water from multiple sectors such as municipal, agricultural, industries, and tourism becomes a major issue in the country, in Dili city (Aurecon Ausralia 2012). The Government of Timore Leste as developing country is seeking various ways to increase the freshwater availability and ensure the continuous supply of water to the individual and the community (Aggarwal et al 2009; Rodell et al 2009; Chawla et al 2010). Various factors are responsible for water scarcity in Comoro watersheds such as unfavorable topographical condition, rapid population growth and urbanization, poor knowledge, and lack of better water management practices
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