Appraisal of groundwater recharge potential using AHP and MIF models: A case study of eastern Balochistan, Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v11i2.327Keywords:
Groundwater Recharge, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Geospatial Analysis, Remote Sensing and GIS, Eastern Balochistan, Sustainable Water ManagementAbstract
This study shows an integrated geospatial and multi-criteria decision-making approach to identify Groundwater Recharge Zones (GWRZs) in the semi-arid region of eastern Balochistan, Pakistan. Using remote sensing and geographic information systems, two decision-making methods, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multi-influencing factor (MIF), were used to assess and rank seven important thematic layers. These layers include lithology, land use and land cover, slope, lineament density, rainfall, drainage density, and soil type. Each layer was carefully assigned weight and then combined to produce spatial maps showing recharge potential. The results from the analytical hierarchy process show that about 6 percent of the area has very high recharge potential, while the multi-influencing factor method shows a wider range, with around 13 percent marked as very high. A sensitivity analysis using map removal sensitivity analysis was also carried out to understand how each parameter affects the results, especially because field validation data was not available. The results revealed that lithology, land use and land cover, and slope were the most influential factors in both models. Overall, the findings show that both approaches are reliable and consistent for mapping recharge zones and can be effectively used in dry and data-scarce regions. This combined method can support better decision-making for sustainable groundwater management and planning of artificial recharge in areas facing serious water shortage.
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