GIS-Based Mapping of Groundwater Potential Zones Using AHP for Ujjain District, Madhya Pradesh, India

Groundwater is one of the most important natural resources, with quality and quantity fluctuating across space. One of the key sources that contributes to the overall yearly supply is groundwater. Groundwater resources are under significant threat as a result of various factors, including rising population, urbanization, and industrialization. In rural regions, groundwater supplies 80–90% of household water. The fall in groundwater levels is caused by unreliable monsoons and poor-quality surface water supplies. As a result, identifying and delineating the GWPZ that can be used to supplement the groundwater supply is important. The goal of this research is to combine geospatial techniques such as geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) to analyse the groundwater potential in the Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh, India. To create the GWPZ map, the thematic layers of the primary elements that govern the occurrence and movement of groundwater in hard rock regions were prioritized, weighted, and aggregated in a linear combination equation in the ArcGIS Raster Calculator. In this study area for evaluating groundwater potential zones, a total of nine thematic maps were prepared, such as geology, drainage density, geomorphology, lithology, soil, land use/land cover, elevation, and slope. The weights for the different thematic layers were calculated using a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique, i.e., the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), that permits pairwise evaluation of criteria influencing the prospective zone. The groundwater potential (GWP) map has also been reclassified into five distinct classes, i.e., excellent, very good, good, moderate, and poor. According to the findings, the excellent potential zone accounts for 1.15% of the total area, with the remaining areas classified as very good (23.21%), good (45.76%), moderate (21.54%), and low (8.35%). A total of 53 well sites are available for the validation of the GWPZ map in the research region. According to our findings, 38 existing wells are in the good and very good potential zones. This suggests that the study's groundwater potential zone map is quite consistent and dependable when it comes to estimating groundwater potential. On the basis of the groundwater potential zone map, a spatial rearrangement of cropping patterns might be recommended. This study is even more essential in an era of drinking water shortages, as the GWPZ map would have been beneficial in water resource planning and management. Future management plans, including natural and artificial recharge practices, may be established successfully in these locations since the approach used yielded reliable analysis.