Groundwater potential zone mapping by using GIS and remote sensing techniques in the case of Suro Barguda Woreda, Ethiopia

The most important natural resource for a nation’s growth and development is groundwater. The purpose of this investigation is to identify and categorize groundwater potential zones in Ethiopia’s Suro Barguda district to promote sustainable water resource management. Using a GIS and remote sensing-based multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), seven thematic factors influencing groundwater occurrence were evaluated: lithology, slope, lineament density, soil texture, land use/land cover with 10 m satellite imagery from 2017 to 2024-year, geomorphology, and drainage density. The relative weights of these factors were Q1assigned via the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and integrated through weighted overlay analysis. The results classify the study area (784.36 km2) into three groundwater potential zones: low (295.53 km2, 37.67%), moderate (365.83 km2, 46.64%), and high (123 km2, 15.68%). Considering this categorization, out of the 9 schemes yielding more than 4.9 l/s, 8 boreholes (88.88%) possess greater yield amounts (span within 5− 23 l/s) and are dropping into the high groundwater potential zone (GWPZ). Out of the 2 schemes (1-4.9 l/s) yield data, 2 (100%) of them fall on the moderate GWPZ. Zones of high potential are primarily situated in the central-eastern and central-western plains, characterized by alluvial deposits, gentle slopes, and high lineament density. Validation using yield data from 11 existing boreholes showed a strong correlation, with 90.9% of the wells aligning with their predicted potential zones. The study finds the GIS-AHP method an effective tool for mapping groundwater potential to guide sustainable exploitation.