Delineation of Groundwater Potential Zones Using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) Technique in Balason River Basin of West Bengal, India

Abstract

Groundwater potential remains an essential topic in the Balason river basin of West Bengal, India. Groundwater potentials can be predicted using an integrated analytical hierarchy process (AHP) approach using a GIS and remote sensing. The goal of this study is to create a groundwater potential zone (GWPZ) map for the Balason River Basin that is reliable and based on scientific evidence. In this situation, the AHP of the MCDA method is used to investigate the potential prospect zones for groundwater resources with significant parameters. To create distinctive thematic layers, USGS satellite data, 30 metre spatial resolution of Landsat 8 images and SRTM-DEM data were used. Eight primary influencing factors were selected: geomorphology, lineament density, slope, slope aspect, lithology, soil types, and land use land cover (LULC), and drainage density. The AHP method produces a GWPZ map utilizing significance scale, pair-wise comparison, signifies consistency ratio, normalized, and weighted overlay technique. The GWPZ map comprises "Very poor," "Poor," "Moderate," "Good," and "Very Good" potential zones with 9.91, 38.45, 25.49, 14.61, and 11.83% share of the overall area respectively. Finally, using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the generated GWPZ map is approved. Furthermore, the best strategies will be to bring up a good level of groundwater recharge zone through water storage and sustainable land use planning. As a result, groundwater availability should be viewed as a measure of progress in the economic sector and the development of a sustainable human civilization.