Integration of geospatial technology and AHP model for assessing groundwater potentiality in Arid Regions: a case study in Wadi Araba Basin, Western Coast of Gulf of Suez, Egypt

Introduction In arid regions such as Wadi Araba, Egypt, water scarcity is a significant challenge, driven by the complex hydrogeological settings and limited field data, all while demand continues to grow for water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial needs. Additionally, the basin flows westward into the Gulf of Suez, generating a slight deltaic fan connecting inland recharge movement with coastal sedimentary and hydrological activities. Methods The groundwater recharge potential in Wadi Araba was mapped using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) within a GIS framework, which is the research objective. Using ArcGIS 10.8, ten thematic layers were weighted and combined to create a groundwater potential map that shows how surface, climate, and structure affect it. Results The study revealed that Wadi Araba has three distinct categories of groundwater potential: low (28.45%) in the northern and southern zones, intermediate (56.9%) in the middle and western sections, and high (14.65%) in the northeastern basin near the Gulf of Suez. These patterns match up with changes in slope, soil permeability, rainfall, and the number of structural elements like drainage and lineaments. Finally, ROC -AUC analysis using 13 field-verified locations was used to check the accuracy of the derived zones, and the results indicated that the prediction accuracy was 78.7%. Accordingly, accessible sites are groundwater indicators in this arid area with few wells and springs. Discussion This study is the first to use an AHP-GIS-based method to map the potential for groundwater in Wadi Araba, Egypt. The results provide an excellent basis for planning sustainable groundwater use in similar arid regions with little field data.