Delineation of Groundwater Potential Zones Utilising Geospatial Multi Criteria Technique in Jakholi Block of a Himalayan District, Rudraprayag, India

Abstract

Groundwater mapping is critical for satisfying people’s water needs. An attempt has been made to delineate the groundwater potential zone for Jakholi block in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India. An innovation in groundwater research that aids in evaluating, observing, and sustaining groundwater resources is the coalscence of remote sensing data with the Geographical Information System (GIS) in order to groundwater resources. Several groundwater potential zones for assessing groundwater availability in Jakholi block have been identified in this article utilizing remote sensing and GIS methodologies. Throughout the study, nine thematic layers were evaluated for designating groundwater potential zones: geomorphology, geology, lineament density, drainage density, slope, soil texture, precipitation, relief and land use/land cover. Thematic layers were then transformed to raster using a GIS platform. After giving weights and score to individual layer, overlay analysis has been practised to identify five zones: very good, good, moderate, poor, and very poor. The majority of the territory is in a zone with poor groundwater prospect. The outcome illustrates groundwater potential zones in the research region and has been shown to be useful in improving ground water resource planning and management.