Groundwater Potential Assessment Using Geospatial Analysis for Chagni Town, Ethiopia

One of the most vital natural resources for a nation's growth and development is groundwater, which is stored in the void spaces of the geological strata beneath the Earth's surface. However, due to the nature of groundwater, determining the groundwater potential zone remains a challenging task. The objective of this study is to identify groundwater potential zones in Chagni using timely and economical Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing techniques. For groundwater potential zonation, nine thematic layers derived from the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with 12.5m spatial resolution, Sentinel-2A satellite images of the year 2022, and other secondary sources were utilized in this research. Using the MCDA of the AHP method, all of the thematic layers (slope, rainfall, drainage density, lineament density, geomorphology, lithology, soil, land use/land cover, and groundwater depth) were reclassified, and a weight for each factor was assigned based on their relative contribution to groundwater with the help of experts’ knowledge. The resulting map of groundwater potential zones was identified by using weighted linear combination (WLC) in ArcGIS and shows 16% and 30% of the area have very high and high potential, respectively, while 10% of the area has very low potential. In general, the assessment of groundwater potential requires further geotechnical and hydrological analyses to ensure the suitability with the required standards for design and implementation.