Identifying groundwater potential zones in a typical irrigation district using the geospatial technique and analytic hierarchy process

Proper management and utilization of groundwater are essential for ecological balance and food security, especially in agricultural regions. This study delineates Groundwater Potential Zones (GWPZs) in the Heping Irrigation District of Heilongjiang Province using GIS and AHP. The 12 key factors influencing groundwater potential (GWP) were analyzed, and a comprehensive evaluation map was created, categorizing the area into five suitability grades: 0.03% is classified as very good, 10.79% as good, 57.41% as moderate, 30.93% as poor, and 0.84% as very poor. Sensitivity analysis highlights drainage density, distance from the river, and distance from the fault as significant factors. The groundwater fluctuations were simulated by MODFLOW and compared with GWPZs for verification. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) reached 95.34%. This research validates the efficacy of GIS and AHP in assessing GWPZs and offers a practical solution for regions lacking borehole data through the introduction of the MODFLOW.