Groundwater prospect mapping using remote sensing, GIS and resistivity survey techniques in Chhokra Nala Raipur district, Chhattisgarh, India

Abstract

Groundwater availability in urbanized areas is under high demand due to overconsumption and lack of recharge area. It is important to consider the groundwater scenario of the cities and industrial areas for its safe consumption and management. In this framework, remote sensing, geographic information system (GIS), is a tool which plays a vital role to map groundwater prospect zones due to its convenience and time-saving nature. The present study area, the watershed of Chhokra Nala, covers an area which consists partly of an industrial area and also Raipur city. The current study has utilized satellite imagery, along with other data sets, to develop different thematic layers such as geology, land use land cover, drainage and drainage density, lineament, geomorphology, rainfall, slope, groundwater depth and soil types. Integration of all these thematic layers through GIS analysis delineated the groundwater prospect zones by the application of a weighted index overlay method. A Resistivity Survey was also performed to locate groundwater potential zones. The groundwater potential zone map of the study area is categorized into five different zones, namely very low, low, moderate, high and very high.