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<p>Groundwater plays a crucial role in sustaining agriculture, drinking water supply, and socio-economic development, particularly in the Eastern Himalayan Foothills, where surface water availability is highly variable and hydrogeological conditions are complex. In Baksa District, Assam, groundwater occurrence is strongly influenced by steep slopes, high runoff, intense monsoonal rainfall, and structural controls, making groundwater assessment challenging and underscoring the need for a region-specific and validated approach. The objective of this study is to delineate groundwater potential zones using an integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework tailored to the foothill environment. Seven thematic factors were systematically evaluated and weighted based on their influence on groundwater. The resulting Groundwater Potential Index (GWPI) classified the study area into five categories. Model validation was carried out using groundwater depth data from 11 Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) observation wells for the period 2019–2020, and predictive performance was assessed through Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. An Area Under the Curve (AUC) value of 0.80 indicates good agreement between predicted groundwater potential zones and observed groundwater conditions, confirming the reliability of the proposed approach. High- to very-high groundwater potential zones are mainly associated with flat terrain, while foothill transition areas show reduced potential owing to steep slopes and enhanced runoff. The study demonstrates that the GIS-AHP framework, supported by field-based validation, provides a reliable decision-support tool for groundwater resource planning, artificial recharge site identification, and sustainable water management in data-scarce foothill regions of the Eastern Himalayas.</p>

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Integrated GIS and AHP framework for groundwater potential mapping in a Himalayan foothill district of Northeast India

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月11日

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  • Sagar Basumatary,
  • Soumen Maji

摘要

Groundwater plays a crucial role in sustaining agriculture, drinking water supply, and socio-economic development, particularly in the Eastern Himalayan Foothills, where surface water availability is highly variable and hydrogeological conditions are complex. In Baksa District, Assam, groundwater occurrence is strongly influenced by steep slopes, high runoff, intense monsoonal rainfall, and structural controls, making groundwater assessment challenging and underscoring the need for a region-specific and validated approach. The objective of this study is to delineate groundwater potential zones using an integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework tailored to the foothill environment. Seven thematic factors were systematically evaluated and weighted based on their influence on groundwater. The resulting Groundwater Potential Index (GWPI) classified the study area into five categories. Model validation was carried out using groundwater depth data from 11 Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) observation wells for the period 2019–2020, and predictive performance was assessed through Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. An Area Under the Curve (AUC) value of 0.80 indicates good agreement between predicted groundwater potential zones and observed groundwater conditions, confirming the reliability of the proposed approach. High- to very-high groundwater potential zones are mainly associated with flat terrain, while foothill transition areas show reduced potential owing to steep slopes and enhanced runoff. The study demonstrates that the GIS-AHP framework, supported by field-based validation, provides a reliable decision-support tool for groundwater resource planning, artificial recharge site identification, and sustainable water management in data-scarce foothill regions of the Eastern Himalayas.