Evaluación del potencial de aguas subterráneas a través de tecnología geoespacial y técnicas de evaluación multicriterio en Ibadan, estado de Oyo, Nigeria

One of the major challenges facing many nations is the lack of reliable access to an adequate water supply, particularly in areas where people struggle to obtain water for domestic use, agriculture, and industry. Because of this, it is essential to develop dependable methods that can accurately identify and allocate groundwater resources. In this study, we used integrated approaches to map the groundwater prospect zones in the Ibadan metropolis of Oyo State, Nigeria. Eleven distinct thematic parameters were formulated to demarcate areas with groundwater potential: slope (S), proximity to the water table (PSWT), geomorphology (G), drainage density (DD), landuse/landcover (LU/LC), elevation (E), lineament density (LD), soil types (ST), land-surface temperature (LST), geology (GE), and rainfall (R). Each of these eleven layers was assigned a weight through Saaty’s Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) before being combined and processed within the ArcGIS platform to produce a comprehensive groundwater potential zoning model. The groundwater potential map that was produced was divided into five distinct recharge zones. Areas classified as “very high” and “high” potential were found primarily in the southwestern, northwestern, and part of the northern sections of Ibadan. A “moderate” potential zone stretched across the study area from the southeastern corner up to the northeastern side. The southeastern and northeastern portions of the investigated region exhibited “low” and “very low” potential, respectively. Because the underlying bedrock lacks primary porosity, overall groundwater occurrence in the study area tends to be limited. Nonetheless, the zones identified as having very high to moderate potential can serve as valuable guides for individuals, institutions, governments, and policymakers as they plan sustainable groundwater exploration and management strategies.