Groundwater potential zone in Bachok District, Malaysia: Application of Remote Sensing and GIS Technique

¹ Department of Geoscience, Faculty of Earth Science, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia
² Water Resources and Groundwater Management Research Group, Faculty of Earth Science, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia
³ Department of Geotechnics & Transportation, School of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia
⁴ Centre for Subsurface Imaging, Institute of Hydrocarbon Recovery, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: hamzah.h@umk.edu.my

Abstract

The research aimed to identify probable groundwater zones by integrating GIS, remote sensing, and AHP techniques. Given the rising demand for water resources due to population growth and economic expansion, groundwater resources are vital. The paper presented a comprehensive approach to achieving this goal. Integrating geographic information systems with analytic hierarchy processes is demonstrated to obtain precise decision-making information through transforming geographical data and weightage ranking. The present study has identified seven principal criteria controlling parameters significantly impacting groundwater occurrence. These criteria have been derived from analysing satellite imagery, existing maps, and data sources. The abovementioned variables encompass drainage density, elevation, annual precipitation, slope gradient, land use and land cover. The overlay-weighted sum method maps the potential groundwater zones in the research area by incorporating all thematic criteria. The groundwater potential index map has identified various zones with differing levels of groundwater potential, ranging from very low (1.61%, low (1.81%), moderate (2.66%), high (22.59%) and very high (71.33%). Ultimately, the mean groundwater level information obtained from five wells in the study area is employed to authenticate the map depicting the potential groundwater zones. This research discusses the significant implications that need to be considered for sustainable groundwater exploration in the area.