Appraisal of Groundwater Potential Zones in Pullamapatti Watershed, South India: A Geospatial Approach

Unsustainable depletion of groundwater resources is increasingly evident and poses a significant concern for numerous developing nations. India, in particular, faces a severe water scarcity problem due to its rapidly expanding population, resulting in the encroachment of natural resources and disruption of hydrological processes. Consequently, essential surface water bodies are progressively vanishing, placing greater stress on groundwater reserves. The work was carried out in the Pullamapatti watershed in northern Tamil Nadu to delineate areas with groundwater potential. A multi-criteria approach, incorporating RS and GIS, was employed for this analysis. Seven parameters, viz., geomorphology, slope, lineament density, drainage density, soil composition, lithology, and land use/land cover (LULC), were utilized to find out groundwater potential zones (GWPZs). The resulting maps categorized these zones into low, moderate, and high-potential areas. The majority of the Pullamapatti watershed (84.9%) falls into the intermediate potential category.