Groundwater potential assessment using analytical hierarchy-driven geospatial techniques: Baramulla, Kashmir valley, India

This study delineate groundwater potential zones by using various potential parameters in district Baramulla, Kashmir valley, India. The main objective of this study is to identify suitable aquifers in Baramulla district of Kashmir valley, with aim of ensuring a sustainable source of groundwater for future water needs. The parameters include geomorphology, rainfall, geology, slope, lineament, land use/land cover, drainage density, and topographic wetness index. On the basis of these factors and their relative contribution, various thematic layers were developed towards groundwater potential. These thematic layers were assigned suitable weights on Saaty’s scale according to their relative importance in groundwater occurrence in the study area. The assigned weights of the thematic layers and their features were then normalized by using the AHP technique. Ultimately, all thematic layers were integrated by a weighted linear combination method in a GIS environment to generate groundwater potential zones map. By analysing these factors and mapping them out, the resulting groundwater potential map was classified into four zones: high covering 539.492 km² (25.46% of the area), medium covering 821.669 km² (38.78% of the area), poor covering 740.676 km² (34.96% of the area), and very poor covering 16.7949 km² (0.80% of the area). The paper likely aims to identify areas with the highest potential for groundwater resources in Baramulla. This information could be useful for a variety of purposes, including agricultural planning, resource management, and groundwater conservation efforts.