Groundwater prospect zoning using remote sensing and geographical information system: A case study in Dala-Renukoot area, Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh

In the present study, ground water prospect zones in Dala-Renukoot area, in Sonebhadra district, Uttar Pradesh, India have been delineated, through integration of various thematic maps using ARC/INFO GIS. Thematic maps in respect of geology, geomorphology, slope, drainage, land-use/land cover, lineament and lineament intersection frequency were prepared on 1:50,000 scale using remote sensing and conventional methods. These maps were scanned and registered with reference to a basemap and arc input as separate layers using ARC/INFO GIS. Each theme was assigned a weightage depending on its influence on the movement and storage of groundwater and each unit in every theme map is assigned a knowledge based ranking from 1 to 5 depending on its significance to groundwater occurrence. All the themes are overlaid, two at a time and the resultant composite coverage is classified into five groundwater prospect categories. This output map is correlated with the groundwater data collected in the field.