Delineation of groundwater potential zones in the hilly topographic region of Serchhip, Mizoram, using Geospatial and analytical hierarchy process

Abstract

Groundwater is the most important source of freshwater next to the surface water. Delineation of groundwater potential is critically essential, particularly in hilly complex topographic regions, where the surface water dries up during the dry season. The present study aimed to delineate groundwater potential areas to address the issue of water scarcity in the Serchhip district, Mizoram. The integration of different thematic layers such as lithology, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), rainfall, slope, soil texture, geomorphology, drainage density, lineament density and Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), the groundwater potential zone layers was prepared by Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The groundwater potential zones (GWPZ) were classified into five: poor, fair, moderate, good, and excellent. The study revealed that the moderate-good zone occupied about 79.27 % (1126.77 km2), and the fair zone covered an area of about 9.52 % (135.3 km²), while the poor area was only 5.30 % (75.3 km²) out of the total study area (1421.5 km2). The demarcation of groundwater potential zones in Serchhip, Mizoram, served to combat water scarcity in mountainous areas. The amalgamation of geospatial data and AHP methodologies offered pivotal insights for the sustainable management of water resources, facilitating informed decision-making and conservation endeavours amidst the challenges posed by climate fluctuations and population expansion.