Identification Of Groundwater Potential Zones in Outer Himalaya’s of Himachal Pradesh Una District Through Remote Sensing, AHP And MIF Techniques

Groundwater is vital for domestic, agricultural, and industrial needs, especially in regions with limited surface water due to erratic rainfall. A study in Una district, Himachal Pradesh, utilized Geographic Information System (GIS) tools combined with Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Multi-Influencing Factor (MIF) techniques to identify groundwater potential zones. Thematic layers—including slope, geology, land use/land cover, drainage density, soil texture, rainfall, geomorphology, and elevation—were developed using ArcGIS, drawing data from sources like the Survey of India and satellite imagery. Each layer was weighted based on its influence on groundwater recharge. AHP employed pairwise comparisons to assess factor importance, while MIF considered both primary and secondary influences. Validation against 29 well observations using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves showed the AHP model had an Area Under Curve (AUC) of 85%, indicating higher predictive accuracy compared to MIF's 73.7%. The findings offer valuable insights for sustainable groundwater management and can assist policymakers in prioritizing areas for recharge and conservation efforts.