Use of Geospatial Techniques for Groundwater Potential Zone Mapping from Phonda Basin in Sindhudurg District Maharashtra: A Geological Influence Approach

The study was conducted to find out the groundwater potential zones (GWPZ) by using geospatial techniques in Phonda basin in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra (India). Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) was used to demarcate the GWPZ using thematic layers: geology, geomorphology, lineament density, drainage density, elevation, slope, soil, rainfall and land use land cove (LULC). The ranks were assigned for each individual parameter of thematic layer and weights assigned to each thematic layer and final groundwater map was prepared by intersection all thematic layers in Arc GIS environment. GWPZs were categorized as: low, moderate, high and very high. Geological factors are influencing groundwater potentials according to geological formations and human activities. Geological influence approach of delineating the GWPZ is useful for planning and monitoring the groundwater resource for sustainable development.