Identification of Groundwater Potential Zones (GWPZ) Using Geospatial Techniques and AHP Method: a Case Study of the Boudinar Basin, Rif Belt (Morocco)

Abstract

The present study aims to delineate the groundwater potential zones (GWPZ) in the Boudinar Basin using geospatial techniques and through an analytical hierarchal process (AHP) method. For multi criteria decision analysis, fifteen thematic layers were integrated into a geographic information system (GIS) environment. In this analysis, each thematic layer is calculated for normalized weights. Furthermore, the consistency index and consistency ratio were calculated to ensure that the result was significant and reliable. The GWPZ map has been categorized into three classes: poor (50.82%), moderate (49.06%), and good (<1.00%). To compare the result, we used four other scenarios of the GWPZ. Two of them are the most similar to our result. Finally, predictive groundwater production and management strategies that ensure long-term sustainability are highly needed.