GIS-based multi-criteria analysis for identification of potential groundwater recharge zones - a case study from Ponnaniyaru watershed, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Groundwater is one of the most vital natural resources; spatially varying in quality and quantity. Increased urbanisation and population creates tremendous pressure on the quality and quantity of the groundwater resources. In this study, Ponnaniyaru watershed of Cauvery basin was considered for this research. Geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) plays a vital role in preparing various thematic layers for targeting the groundwater potential zones (GWPZ). This study adopts the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Multi influence factor (MIF), multi-criteria decision-making approaches to determine the weights for the influencing factors. Weighted linear overlay analysis was carried out to determine the GWPZ. Further, the resultant GWPZ map has been reclassified into five different classes, namely Very good, Good, Moderate, Poor and Very poor. The results were validated with observed well-yield data, and the predictive precision for AHP and MIF was found to be 75%, and 71% respectively. © 2020 The Authors