Assessment of groundwater potential zones in the basaltic terrain: a case study from in and around Gondar town, North West Ethiopia using remote sensing and GIS technologies

Abstract

Geospatial technology has wide applications within the groundwater resource assessment studies. Satellite images are increasingly being used in groundwater exploration due to their utility in distinguishing numerous geo-system options. The present study has been disbursed in and around Gondar, Ethiopia. The groundwater potential zones were depicted from the six geo-system parameters like lithology, lineament density, geomorphology, slope, land use/land cover, and drainage density using weighted overlay analysis methodology. Integration of the above mentioned geo-systems has been performed in GIS platform using weighted overlay analysis. Totally different categories of thematic maps are assigned weights supported influence on groundwater hydrology (through intensive literature review), and eventually, factor ranks area were assigned. The ultimate map indicates the potentiality values of groundwater prevalence within the study area, that was classified into 3 categories—high, moderate and low. a total of 24% of the study area fall in low groundwater potential zone, 42%in moderate potential zones and 34%of the realm in the high potential zone.

Keywords: Groundwater potential zones, remote sensing, GIS, Gondar, Ethiopia.