Groundwater Potential Zone Mapping in the Department of Boundiali (Northern Côte d’Ivoire) Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and GIS

This study aims to improve our understanding of groundwater resources in the Boundiali department to meet the ever-growing needs of the population. The main objective of this study is to identify areas with real groundwater potential. The database includes satellite images, borehole data, and hydro-climatic data. Using the hierarchical analytical process method to combine these different types of information made it possible to generate groundwater availability, operability, and accessibility indicators. These indicators were then used as criteria and incorporated using the GIS-based coding aggregation method to develop the groundwater potential map. The results show that over half (60%) of the territory has good to excellent groundwater availability. The operability and accessibility areas of this resource are estimated at 30% (good) and 53% (excellent), respectively. Analysis of the groundwater potential map derived from these indicators shows that 61% of the study area is suitable for installing high-yield boreholes. This study is a significant step towards solving the drinking water problem in this department, where no advanced hydrogeological studies are available.