Delineation of groundwater potential zones through the integration of remote sensing, geographic information system, and multi-criteria decision-making technique in the sub-Himalayan foothills region, India

The deficiency in groundwater resources worldwide is an alarming issue in the contemporary context, and hence it is significant to analyze the groundwater potential zones (GPZs). The spatial distribution of GPZs assists in identifying the areas with groundwater potentiality and scarcity. The sub-Himalayan foothills region of West Bengal is experiencing high demand for groundwater due to the expansion of anthropogenic activities. Thus, the present work intends to delineate GPZs through integrating remote sensing (RS), geographic information system (GIS), and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique in the sub-Himalayan foothills district of West Bengal in eastern India. Many predominant thematic criteria (N = 9), e.g., hydrogeology (HG), elevation (EV), slope (SL), drainage density (DD), lineament density (LD), geomorphology (GEOM), soil (S), annual rainfall (AR), and land-use land cover (LULC), were applied to manifest a reliable outcome. The resulting GPZs map demonstrates ‘moderate’ groundwater potential zone (GPZ) that encompasses all over the parts of the district, covering the highest area (i.e., 73%), while the ‘very good’ GPZ has the lowest extent, observed only in the south-eastern part. Furthermore, micro-level (block-wise) assessment of GPZs has been conducted and illustrated that Mal, Matiali, Rajganj emphasized 8.45%, 6.93%, 4.67%, respectively, areas with ‘low’ groundwater potentiality. In comparison, only Dhupguri block shows very high (only 1.22%) potentiality in the south and south-eastern parts. The produced GPZs map is validated through the acquired data of various dug wells and groundwater fluctuation from the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB). The GPZs were also statistically verified through ROC-AUC assessment, and the result shows that 71.50% area falls under the curve. The findings of the work will be helpful for planners, policy-makers, government agencies, and stakeholders to design sustainable and environment-friendly planning for the concerned region. © Islamic Azad University (IAU) 2022.