Mapping of Groundwater Potential Zones Using Multicriteria Decision-Making and Overlay Analysis

Demarcation of prospective groundwater zones is very crucial due to the high strain on surface water caused by increased demand and surface water contamination in the current circumstances. Urbanization is one of the major issues due to unscientific planning and development. Hyderabad city is known as the developmental hub of southern India, which faces continuous water stress every year. Therefore, it is necessary to respond appropriately to water conservation and groundwater exploration. As a result, in the current study, an effort is to demarcate zones with plausible groundwater using recent techniques such as GIS, layers of different layers of remote sensing are created, and analysis was carried after stacking the layers was done. Further, multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) technique has been used to map the prospective groundwater zones. The layers were normalized, and weightage for each layer was assigned after carrying out online survey conducted from various hydrological and groundwater experts from India. The results are highly encouraging and were validated against the existing data of Telangana monitored by the state groundwater department.