• RS, GIS, and AHP methods to identify groundwater potential zones. • The WOA model to delineate five categories of groundwater potential. • The combined GIS-RS-AHP approach is an effective method. Mapping groundwater potential zones in a semi-arid region is crucial for sustainable water management. This study used remote sensing and GIS-based AHP to identify groundwater potential zones in the semi-arid district of Garowe, Puntland, Somalia. Nine thematic layers related to groundwater influencing factors were generated using both conventional and satellite-based data. These include rainfall, geology, slope, lineament density, soil, land use/land cover, drainage density, and the normalized vegetation index elevation. Saaty scale values for the thematic layers and their classes were determined based on expert opinions and the literature. Thematic maps were integrated according to their weights and rates to generate a potential zone map through ArcGIS's weighted overlay analysis (WOA) function. The WOA categorizes potential groundwater zones into five levels: abysmal (12.83%, 1116.8 km²), poor (23.77%, 2069.9 km²), good (27.48%, 2383.5 km²), perfect (28.11%, 2446.9 km²), and excellent (7.87%, 685.16 km²). The validation of these zones was conducted using 50 pre-existing data points from boreholes, hand-dug wells, and springs, with the accuracy evaluation performed via the kappa coefficient error matrix. The precise assessment and kappa statistics produced values of 80% and 74%, respectively, confirming the study's reliability. The groundwater potential zone (GWPZ) map was developed as a comprehensive geological tool to support effective groundwater planning and management, particularly during periods of scarcity.
Ismail et al. (Sun,) studied this question.
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