Multi-criteria groundwater potential mapping in semi-arid regions: a case study from the Luni river basin
摘要
Groundwater is a vital natural resource, essential for domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes. The demand for groundwater has significantly risen due to population growth, modern irrigation techniques, and increased industrial usage. The present study utilizes Remote Sensing & Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to analyze the morphometric parameters for understanding the hydrogeological conditions and several thematic layers like geomorphology, rainfall, drainage density, lineament density, soil, geology, and slope using Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) method to depict the prospective groundwater potential within the Luni River Basin (LRB). The morphometric parameters (Linear, areal, relief, shape & Hypsometric) collectively paint a picture that LRB is a fifth-order basin and persists a dendritic (tree-like) drainage pattern that is favourable for the infiltration of groundwater. Morphometric parameters provide a primary understanding of the basin’s hydro-geomorphic framework. So, detailed hydrogeological studies integrating with the thematic layers added more significance to groundwater potential mapping. Using the weighted overlay analysis using AHP method, three distinct groundwater potential regimes are demarcated within the Luni River basin, with the western sector exhibiting a notably diminished degree of groundwater potential while the eastern sector manifests a substantially elevated groundwater potential capacity. This variation is indicative of contrasting hydrogeological conditions, likely influenced by geological, geomorphological, and climatic factors that warrant further investigation and detailed exploration for comprehensive groundwater resource management within the basin.