Groundwater potential zone mapping using AHP and geospatial techniques in the upper Narmada basin, central India

Water scarcity occurs in the agriculturally dominated Upper catchment area of Narmada River, Central India because of the overexploitation of underground water for residential, industrial, and other uses. Delineating the Ground Water Potential Zone (GWPZ) is critical to meeting the area’s water demand. Finding the Upper catchment Narmada River groundwater potential zone is the primary goal of this study. The study uses geographical methodologies based on the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). To create a GWPZ map, ArcGIS 10.4 software compiles eight thematic layers, including elevation, slope, drainage density, geology, rainfall, soil texture, modified normalized difference water index, topographic wetness index, and land use/cover. There are five classifications for land use land cover map: Very low, low, moderate, high, and Very high. Each theme map in this study was given a weight based on its unique attributes and contribution to the GWP capacity. The AHP method, which takes into account each layer’s relative relevance regarding the others, was used to establish the weights. Four groups were created from the resulting groundwater potential map: excellent, good, moderate, and poor. According to the study, 26.05% of the basin was categorized as excellent, 34.59% as good, 23.97% as moderate, and 15.4% as poor groundwater potential.The results of this study further indicate that a sizable section of the Narmada River Basin has well to moderate groundwater potential, pointing to encouraging prospects for the area’s sustainable groundwater use. The study offers crucial insights for planners and policymakers to conscientiously harness groundwater resources, fostering sustainable development across diverse land uses in the fragile zone of the upper catchment of the Narmada, and it serves as a model for simulation in other sensitive river basins. The implications of the study are geared towards enhancing groundwater prospects, revitalizing fragile riverine ecosystems, and achieving the target outlined in Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2030.