Assessment Of Groundwater Potential Zones Research Articles

An integrated geospatial multi-influencing factor approach to delineate and identify groundwater potential zones in Kabul Province, Afghanistan

This study evaluated the spatial distribution of groundwater potential zones in Kabul Province, Afghanistan using the geospatial multi-influencing factor approach. The influencing parameters employed for the assessment of groundwater potential zones were land slope, geology, soil type, land use/land cover, lineament density, rainfall, and drainage density. The subclasses within each influencing parameter were subdivided based on their influence on groundwater potential as major, minor, and no effect, and were subsequently assigned a score value. The combined score value of these parameters was used for calculating their relative weights. The delineated groundwater potential zones were classified in four groups, i.e., poor, moderate, good, and very good. The study results revealed that zones with a very good groundwater potential covered an area of 355 km2 (2% of the total area), good 1524 km2 (20%), moderate 2251 km2 (73%), and poor 477 km2 (5%). The study concluded that the geospatial-assisted multi-influencing factor approach was very useful and efficient technique for the assessment of groundwater potential zones and can be effectively employed to enhance the conceptual understanding of groundwater resources of Kabul Basin, Afghanistan.

Assessment of Groundwater Potential Zones of Tons Basin Using Spatial Data

Assessment of Groundwater Potential Zones of Tons Basin Using Spatial Data

Mapping groundwater potential zones using remote sensing and geographical information systems in a fractured rock setting, Southern Flinders Ranges, South Australia

In Australia, water resource management is a major socio-economic and environmental issue and an essential component of progress. This is more acute in arid and semi-arid regions of Australia. The Southern Flinders Ranges townships of Quorn and Hawker in common with much of the Flinders Ranges suffers from a lack of reliable data to help water resource managers. This paper discusses the delineation and assessment of groundwater potential zones using remote sensing and geospatial techniques in the region, using multi-criteria analyses. The study integrates many thematic layers (rainfall, lithology, lineament density, topographic wetness, slope and aspect) in a GIS environment in order to identify groundwater potential zones. Weights are assigned to class attributes within and between each thematic data layer using an Analytical Hierarchy Process based on the relative importance of each layer. The weighted thematic data layers are then combined to produce a probability of groundwater potential zone map of each study area. The groundwater potential zones were verified with available water data, and showed consistency with the interpretations.

Assessment of groundwater potential zones using multi-criteria evaluation technique of Paisuni River Basin from the combined state of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, India

The Paisuni River Basin forms the combined state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), and Madhya Pradesh (MP), India. It is an agricultural-dominated area in the flood plains where groundwater plays a crucial role for agricultural purpose. In the present study, an assessment of groundwater potential (GWP) zones is carried out using multi-criteria evaluation techniques. Different thematic maps such as landuse/landcover, geomorphology, lithology, soil, slope, lineament, drainage and rainfall maps were considered for the delineation of potential zones. The present work was carried out to delineate the GWP for the two different states as well as for the various villages of UP and MP. Approximately, 44% and 13% for good potential, 32% and 18% for moderate potential and 6% and 14% for the low potential of groundwater are delineated from the states of UP and MP. The village wise shows that 1% good potential is in the state of MP; however, 99% shows good potential for the villages of UP. Rainfall data also indicates that UP receives more annual rainfall than MP. The majority of the area in UP suggests good groundwater potential zones. Thus, the results will be helpful in better planning and management of groundwater resources in the Paisuni River Basin as well as rainwater harvesting in different villages where there is a poor potential of groundwater to meet the future need of water in these villages.

Assessment of groundwater potential zones using multi-criteria decision-making technique: a micro-level case study from red and lateritic zone (RLZ) of West Bengal, India

Locating potential zones of ground water reservoir is a challenging task particularly in dry areas, mountaneous region or lateritic zones. In the present century, Satellite Remote sensing could offer a fresh promise to identify surface and sub-surface water resources with less time and cost. The present study was carried out in the drought-prone red and lateritic zones (RLZs) of West Bengal, India, to identify groundwater potential zones. Multi-criteria approach based on remote sensing and geographic information system utilizing six parameters, namely hydrogeomorphology, slope, drainage density, lineaments density, land use/land cover and fractional impervious surface were used in this analysis. Weightages were assigned to the parameters using Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) while different classes within each parameter were ranked according to their relative importance for groundwater potentiality. The study characterized different zones of groundwater prospects, viz. excellent (0.77%), good (35.20%), fair (61.80%), and poor (2.13%). During validation, 81% among the surveyed 180 dug wells of the area in the “good” potential zones were found to be perennial; while, ten among the ten dug wells surveyed in the ‘poor’ potential zone were found to be non-perennial in nature. The findings, thus, could establish that present methodology using AHP with enhanced parameterization has a better potential to identify and map the groundwater potential zones more realistically, and can be applied for drought risk reduction in wider RLZ zones.

Assessment of Groundwater Potential Zones by Using Geoinformatics in Angolelana Tera Woreda, North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia

Groundwater is the least known resource in terms of volume, location, quality, and spatial distribution. This problem is further aggravated in Ethiopia due to a lack of a groundwater spatial database system. The study was conducted in Angolelana Tera Woreda which covers a total area of 782.48 km2. The main objective of this study was to identify and delineate groundwater potential areas by using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) techniques. Multi-criteria decision analysis method in GIS environment was employed to identify groundwater potential zone. To do this, the geological, geomorphologic, slope, soil, lineament, land use/land cover and drainage density data were used. By integrating these data in GIS environment, therefore, groundwater potential zones were identified, and the output was classified as very high, high, moderate, low and very low potential zones. Based on the result, 109.2 km2 (12.9%), 129.53 km2 (16.55%), 435.52 km2 (55.66%), 63.28 km2 (8.09%) and 53.23 km2 (6.8%) of the study area has very high, high, moderate, low and very low groundwater potential, respectively. It can be concluded that relatively the study area has high groundwater potential. So in order to utilize this important resource for different uses, high resolution groundwater potential map and spatial based groundwater analysis techniques should be required. Therefore, the woreda administrator bodies and other concerned stakeholders who might utilize and manage the available groundwater resource of the study area should use this research output as an input to develop an overall master plan for groundwater exploitation and management.

Assessment of groundwater potential zones in the basaltic terrain: a case study from in and around Gondar town, North West Ethiopia using remote sensing and GIS technologies

Geospatial technology has wide applications within the groundwater resource assessment studies. Satellite images are increasingly being used in groundwater exploration due to their utility in distinguishing numerous geo-system options. The present study has been disbursed in and around Gondar, Ethiopia. The groundwater potential zones were depicted from the six geo-system parameters like lithology, lineament density, geomorphology, slope, land use/land cover, and drainage density using weighted overlay analysis methodology. Integration of the above mentioned geo-systems has been performed in GIS platform using weighted overlay analysis. Totally different categories of thematic maps are assigned weights supported influence on groundwater hydrology (through intensive literature review), and eventually, factor ranks area were assigned. The ultimate map indicates the potentiality values of groundwater prevalence within the study area, that was classified into 3 categories—high, moderate and low. a total of 24% of the study area fall in low groundwater potential zone, 42%in moderate potential zones and 34%of the realm in the high potential zone. Keywords : Groundwater potential zones, remote sensing, GIS, Gondar, Ethiopia.

Hydrological assessment of groundwater potential zones of Cauvery River Basin, India: a geospatial approach

Groundwater is one of the prime sources of freshwater in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The unsustainable abstraction of groundwater and marked changes in the climate due to natural and anthropogenic processes, over the years, have imposed immense pressure on the pristine freshwater sources. Lack of adequate information on the spatial distribution of groundwater resources and its availability to human consumption is one of the challenges before the water managers of many fast-developing economies of the world. This warrants the need for a low-cost, easily applicable and reliable technology to assess the groundwater potential of river basins—the most fundamental unit for spatial planning. Here, we report a study carried out for delineation of groundwater potential zones in the Cauvery river basin (Basin area 82,283 km2) in Peninsular India using weighted overlay method, employing a total of 12 thematic layers. Weights assigned to each class in the thematic maps are based on their characteristics and water potential capacity following the analytical hierarchical process techniques. The resultant groundwater potential values were then classified into five categories such as excellent, good, moderate, low and poor for further analysis. An overall evaluation of the results reveals that about 65% of the basin area falls under moderate groundwater potential zones and 19% under excellent to good categories. The remaining areas fall under low and poor groundwater potential zones. An inter-comparison of the observations of the present study with that of the well data and ground truth verification reveals that the method adopted herein for the delineation of groundwater potential zones is about 85% accurate and hence the people concerned can go for further high-resolution investigations including direct test methods for groundwater development planning and its sustainable utilization.

Assessment of groundwater potential zones in parts of the semi-arid region of Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India using GIS and AHP approach

Increasing urbanization and the population’s demand for water shortages in urban and rural regions prompts a decrease in groundwater resources, to the need to plan sustainable development and watershed management. Remote sensing, geographic information system (GIS) and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) are useful approaches for distinguishing possible groundwater areas of India. A total of eight sets of thematic layers have been selected to influence the storage of groundwater potential in the region concerned and a suitable weight is assigned to each factor based on the Saaty’s nine points and the weights are normalized by AHP. The groundwater potential zone (GWPZ) of the study region was prepared by integrating the different thematic layers with the support of ArcGIS software. The present study results indicates that 5.36 km2 has a very good GWP, 193.45 km2 has a good GWP, while 184.09 km2 and 12.27 km2 are under moderate and poor GWPZs respectively. The study found that a simple GIS-based AHP approach is reasonable for making precise and dependable estimates, especially if the order of the criteria used for expectation is consistent. The present study results showed the effect of consistency criteria that the ability of the method to give an accurate prediction depends on many criteria’s that are used. The study found that the basic GIS based AHP approaches is capable of producing accurate and reliable for better planning and managing the resources in an effective way.

Assessment of groundwater potential zones in Chittar basin, Southern India using GIS based AHP technique

The present study investigates multiple geo-envrionmental parameters for delineating groundwater potential zones in Chittar basin, Tamil Nadu using GIS based analytical hierarchical process (AHP) technique. The parameters contributing groundwater recharge and sub-surface flow such as geology, lineaments, geomorphology, slope, drainage density, soil and rainfall are spatially explored at site-specific level based on the expert guidelines of AHP systematic weighted analysis. In this analysis, each thematic layer of contributing parameter is mathematically calculated for normalized weights and geometric mean in order to determine its rule to identify potential groundwater prospects at pixel (10 × 10 m) scale level. The result map indicates the potentiality of groundwater availability in various parts of the study area. In which, the area covers 162.84 km2 (6.6%) are identified with higher groundwater prospectus, that occurs under confined aquifers lay down along the flow path of river channel; whereas the poor groundwater potential found in the area of 180.52 km2 (7.37%) in the western parts due to leaking or discharge from unconfined aquifers towards east-down directions. The result is validated using field-estimated groundwater optimum yield for the 24 open wells located across the study area and the among them 17 wells are highly correlated with the derived measurements, i.e. the higher groundwater potential in Keelapavoor in south-west parts and poor groundwater availability in Devarkulam and surrounded areas and the overall accuracy is agreed at 71%. Higher groundwater potential found along some parts due to presence of lineaments occurred in weathered and jointed rocks that transmitting surface runoff into the confined aquifers; however, zones covered by massive weathered rocky layers prevails poor groundwater sources in many parts of the study area. The GIS based AHP method is effectively performed for identification of groundwater potential zone in the hard rock terrain and the information sources can be used for planning the sustainable groundwater management.

Correction to: Assessment of groundwater potential zones in Vellore district, Tamil Nadu, India using geospatial techniques

The publisher regrets that the original version of this article contained errors. Figures 7 to 10 were shown in the wrong version, thus corrected figures are shown in this article. The original article has been corrected.

Assessment of groundwater potential zones in Vellore district, Tamil Nadu, India using geospatial techniques

The present study focuses on the exploration of groundwater potential zones in Vellore district, Tamil Nadu, India based on geospatial technologies. Various thematic layers such as landuse/ land cover, soil texture, slope, geology, geomorphology, drainage and lineament density, rainfall, transmissivity, permeability and specific capacity were derived from suitable sources. All the thematic layers and classified raster’s were prepared using ArcGIS version 10.1 software. The value in each thematic layer was assigned a common scale thus integrating all the thematic layers and to generate a final output layer. The score for each influencing factor were calculated based on multi-influencing factor technique. During weighted overlay analysis, the ranking was given for each individual parameter of each thematic map, and weights were assigned according to the multi-influencing factor (MIF). In this study, the groundwater potential zones were classified by four categories such as poor, moderate, good and excellent. Excellent groundwater potential zones have been observed in the eastern part of the study area due to the presence of good porosity and permeability. The obtained results were validated with specific yield of the aquifer in the study area. It is noted that there is a strong positive correlation between excellent groundwater potential zones with high specific yield and it diminishes with low specific yield with poor potential zones.

Application of multi-criteria decision making technique for the assessment of groundwater potential zones: a study on Birbhum district, West Bengal, India

Thriving depletion of groundwater resource in the present era of green revolution and industrialization requires sustainable development and management through precise quantitative assessment-based scientific principles and modern techniques. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model as a popular method of multi-criteria decision-making technique is applied to determine the importance of groundwater influencing factors. Geographic information system (GIS) as a part of geospatial technology has also been used to integrate the groundwater influencing spatial dataset. In this study nine groundwater influencing thematic layers, viz. geology, drainage density, aquifer thickness, pond frequency, soil texture, lineament density, land use/land cover and rainfall, have been selected to assess groundwater potential. In this article, Birbhum district of West Bengal has been chosen as the area of case study. On the basis of AHP model and GIS technology, five groundwater potential zones have been extracted in the study area comprising very low, low, moderate, high and very high groundwater potential zones. It has been estimated that an area of 212.27 km2 has very high potential, which is only 4.77% of the total study area. However, the areas having high, moderate, low and very low groundwater potential are about 23.33, 47.84, 25.16, and 3.65%, respectively. Finally, the validation of the groundwater potential map has been done with the data of 41 drilled boreholes which are present in a scattered manner throughout the district. The results depict that the prediction of groundwater potential zone of the area has 76.1% accuracy.

Assessment of groundwater potential zones using multi-influencing factor (MIF) and GIS: a case study from Birbhum district, West Bengal

Remote sensing and GIS play a vital role in exploration and assessment of groundwater and has wide application in detection, monitoring, assessment, conservation and various other fields of groundwater-related studies. In this research work, delineation of groundwater potential zone in Birbhum district has been carried out. Various thematic layers viz. geology, geomorphology, soil type, elevation, lineament and fault density, slope, drainage density, land use/land cover, soil texture, and rainfall are digitized and transformed into raster data in ArcGIS 10.3 environment as input factors. Thereafter, multi-influencing factor (MIF) technique is employed where ranks and weights, assigned to each factor are computed statistically. Finally, groundwater potential zones are classified into four categories namely low, medium, high and very high zone. It is observed that 18.41% (836.86 km2) and 34.41% (1563.98 km2) of the study area falls under ‘low’ and ‘medium’ groundwater potential zone, respectively. Approximately 1601.19 km2 area accounting for 35.23% of the study area falls under ‘high’ category and ‘very high’ groundwater potential zone encompasses an area of 542.98 km2 accounting for 11.95% of the total study area. Finally, the model generated groundwater potential zones are validated with reported potential yield data of various wells in the study area. Success and prediction rate curve reveals an accuracy achievement of 83.03 and 78%, respectively. The outcome of the present research work will help the local authorities, researchers, decision makers and planners in formulating better planning and management of groundwater resources in the study area in future perspectives.

Delineation of Groundwater Potential Zone in Baliguda Block of Kandhamal District, Odisha using Geospatial Technology Approach

Assessment of groundwater potential zones is extremely important for protection of water quality and management of groundwater systems. Groundwater Potential Zones (GPZ) are demarcated with the help of geospatial techniques. The parameters, considered for identifying the GPZ such as geology, geomorphology, slope, drainage density, lineament density, rainfall, soil and landuse and land cover (LULC) are generated using satellite data and toposheet. Later, they are integrated with each other applying weighted overlay in ArcGIS. Suitable ranks are assigned for each category of these parameters. For various geomorphic units, weight factors are decided based on their capability to store groundwater. This procedure is repeated for all other layers and resultant layers are reclassified. The groundwater potential zones are classified into three categories like Poor, Good and Excellent. The use of aforesaid methodology is demonstrated in a selected study area in Baliguda block of Kandhamal district in Odisha.

Groundwater occurrence and aquifer vulnerability assessment of Magodo Area, Lagos, Southwestern Nigeria

A combination of vertical electrical soundings (VES), 2D electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) surveys and borehole logs were conducted at Magodo, Government Reserve Area (GRA) Phase 1, Isheri, Southwestern Nigeria, with the aim of delineating the different aquifers present and assessing the groundwater safety in the area. The Schlumberger electrode array was adopted for the VES and dipole-dipole array was used for the 2D imaging. The maximum current electrode spread (AB) was 800 m and the 2D traverse range between 280 and 350 m in the east-west direction. The thickness of impermeable layer overlying the confined aquifer was used for the vulnerability ratings of the study area. Five lithological units were delineated: the topsoil, clayey sand, unconsolidated sand which is the first aquifer, a clay stratum and the sand layer that constitutes the confined aquifer horizon. The topsoil thickness varies from 0.6 to 2.6 m, while its resistivity values vary between 55.4 and 510.6 Ω/m. The clayey sand layers have resistivity values ranging from 104.2 to 143.9 Ω/m with thickness varying between 0.6 and 14.7 m. The resistivity values of the upper sandy layer range from 120.7 to 2195.2 Ω/m and thickness varies from 3.3 to 94.0 m. The resistivity of the clay layer varies from 11.3 to 96.1 Ω/m and the thickness ranges from 29.6 to 76.1 m. The resistivity value of the confined aquifer ranges between 223 and 1197.4 Ω/m. The longitudinal conductance (0.0017–0.02 mhos) assessment of the topsoil shows that the topsoil within the study area has poor overburden protective capacity, and the compacted impermeable clay layer shows that the underlying confined aquifer is well protected from contamination and can be utilized as a source of portable groundwater in the study area. This study therefore enabled the delineation of shallow aquifers, the variation of their thicknesses and presented a basis for safety assessment of groundwater potential zones in the study area.

Assessment of groundwater potential zones in coal mining impacted hard-rock terrain of India by integrating geospatial and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach

The study aims at delineating groundwater potential zones using geospatial technology and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) techniques in mining impacted hard rock terrain of Ramgarh and part of Hazaribagh districts, Jharkhand, India. Relevant thematic layers were prepared and assigned weight based on Saaty’s 9-point scale and normalized by eigenvector technique of AHP to identify groundwater prospect in the study area. The weighted linear combination method was applied to prepare the groundwater potential index in geographic information system. Final groundwater prospects were classified as excellent, very good, good, moderate, poor and very poor groundwater potential zones. Study thus revealed that the excellent, very good and good groundwater potential zones, respectively, cover 148.3, 373.66 and 438.86 km2 of the study area, whereas the poor groundwater potential zone covers 180.05 km2. Validation was done through a receiver operating characteristic curve, which indicated that AHP had good prediction accuracy (AUC = 75.45%).

Integrated Approach Using Remote Sensing and GIS for Assessment of Groundwater Quality and Hydrogeomorphology in Certain Parts of Tummalapalle Area, Cuddapah District, Andhra Pradesh, South India

The present work deals with the assessment of groundwater potential zones and their suitability for drinking in the severely drought affected villages of Vemula mandal of Cuddapah District, Andhra Pradesh. This study is based on remote sensing and GIS approach. In this approach the IRS P6 LISS III Data (23.5 m Spatial Resolution) with Path: 100; Row: 063 of Indian Remote Sensing Satellite, Resourcesat IRS-P6 LISS-III has been utilized to analyse the onscreen interpretation and delineated different geomorphological units, lithological formations and geological structures. By integrating the above said parameters the hydrogeomorphological map is prepared on 1:50,000 scale. The study area is characteristically occupied by the Papaghni and Chitravati group of rocks. In the present study, the lithological formations on the basis of their genesis have been classified as fluvial, denudational and structural. Majority of lineaments are trending in NE-SW and NW-SE directions. The fluvial landforms namely valley fill moderate and valley have good groundwater prospects while shallow weathered buried pediplain has moderate to poor groundwater prospects. The chemical quality parameters of groundwater samples have indicated that the water samples are found to be suitable for drinking, agricultural, and industrial purposes.

Assessment of groundwater potential zones in an arid region based on catastrophe theory

Evaluation of groundwater potential is a multi-criteria and multi-level comprehensive assessment system that needs judgment of decision makers in making decision. To avoid subjectivity or the preference of decision makers in the assessment, catastrophe theory based evaluation method is proposed in this study which calculates the importance of one criterion over other by its inner mechanism and thus, avoid subjectivity. The proposed method is applied for the assessment of groundwater potential zones in the arid region of lower Balochistan province of Pakistan. The groundwater is considered as a system with five sub-systems namely, geology, soil, drainage density, slope and rainfall. Seventeen sub-system indicators of groundwater potential are selected for modeling groundwater potential zone. The catastrophe theory is applied to derive the relative weights of indicators in predicting groundwater potential. Thematic maps of sub-systems are integrated within a geographical information system and the groundwater potential zones of the integrated layer are calculated by using the weights of indicators. The results are verified by existing number of tube wells operating in the study area. It has been found that the number of tube wells is more in the area where the groundwater potential is high. The study reveals that catastrophe theory is suitable for assessing groundwater potential.

Delineating groundwater potential zones in a hard-rock terrain using geospatial tool

Geospatial techniques have become one of the leading tools in the field of natural sciences for assessment, monitoring and management of natural resources, particularly in groundwater research. The paper discusses the demarcation and assessment of groundwater potential zones using geospatial techniques in the Deccan Volcanic Province of Maharashtra, India, using multi-criteria analyses. The study incorporates integration of thematic information (geomorphology, lithology, drainage density, slope and lineaments) in a GIS environment in order to identify groundwater potential zones. The methodology adopted can be used as a rapid assessment tool in groundwater exploration and is helpful in predictive groundwater resource management. Multi-criteria evaluation techniques were used to integrate all the thematic layers. Individual themes and their corresponding categories were assigned a knowledge base ranking from 1 to 5, depending on their importance for groundwater potential. Using the Raster calculator tool in Arc GIS software, all thematic maps were integrated to produce a composite groundwater potential map of the study area. The identified groundwater potential zones were classified into four classes, from excellent to poor. The generated groundwater potential zones were validated with field checks and borewell/dugwell yield data, and showed consistency with the observations. Citation Singh, P., Thakur, J. K., and Kumar, S. (2013) Delineating groundwater potential zones in a hard-rock terrain using geospatial tools. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (1), 1–11.