Delineating groundwater potential zones in a hard-rock terrain using geospatial tool

Geospatial techniques have become one of the leading tools in the field of natural sciences for assessment, monitoring and management of natural resources, particularly in groundwater research. The paper discusses the demarcation and assessment of groundwater potential zones using geospatial techniques in the Deccan Volcanic Province of Maharashtra, India, using multi-criteria analyses. The study incorporates integration of thematic information (geomorphology, lithology, drainage density, slope and lineaments) in a GIS environment in order to identify groundwater potential zones. The methodology adopted can be used as a rapid assessment tool in groundwater exploration and is helpful in predictive groundwater resource management. Multi-criteria evaluation techniques were used to integrate all the thematic layers. Individual themes and their corresponding categories were assigned a knowledge base ranking from 1 to 5, depending on their importance for groundwater potential. Using the Raster calculator tool in Arc GIS software, all thematic maps were integrated to produce a composite groundwater potential map of the study area. The identified groundwater potential zones were classified into four classes, from excellent to poor. The generated groundwater potential zones were validated with field checks and borewell/dugwell yield data, and showed consistency with the observations.