Geospatial Modeling of Groundwater Potential Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis in Humid Subtropical Region, India

Abstract

This study uses geospatial modeling and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to assess the Groundwater Potential Zones (GPZs) in Cachar District, India. Twelve influencing factors, namely Geomorphology, geology, soil type, Land Use Land Cover (LULC), rainfall, slope, drainage density, lineament density, elevation, aspect, Topographic Ruggedness Index (TRI), and Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), are considered, and thematic maps are prepared in Geographical Information System (GIS) platform. To measure the weightages of these factors, Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) and Best Worst Method (BWM) are the MCDA techniques used. The GPZs are generated using weights and reclassified into low, medium, and high zones. The major portion of the region is classified as the medium potential zone, with 64.25% and 63.96% of the total area using AHP and BWM, respectively. The validation with groundwater data for the two GPZ maps reveals that 10 out of 12 locations have been predicted accurately. BWM, with a lesser comparison matrix, performed as efficiently as AHP and has proven to be a better MCDA technique in spatial modeling GPZ for sustainable groundwater conservation.