Ramadhani Twaha, Joel Nobert, Augustina C. Alexander, Deogratias M.M. Mulungu, Mathew Senga
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The Great Ruaha River Catchment (GRC) in Tanzania is facing severe water scarcity due to the growing number of water users in the catchment. The surface-water resources are under stress, leading to increasing dependence on groundwater for water supply. This study aimed to identify and map groundwater potential areas in the GRC using a geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing techniques, and analytic hierarchy process multi-criteria decision analysis (AHP MCDA) tools. The thematic maps representing lithology, lineaments density, precipitation, soil, slope, drainage density, geomorphology, and land use were used to create a groundwater potential zones (GWPZ) map by weighted linear combination (WCL). The results showed that 70% (~60,044 km2) of the catchment area is in zones with moderate groundwater potential, 21.9% (~18,720 km2) in high groundwater potential zones, and 7.87% (~6,726 km2) in low groundwater potential zones. These results highlight the catchment’s overall groundwater potential and identify areas with scarce resources that should be prioritized for protective measures. Watershed managers and policymakers can use this information to make informed decisions on groundwater use and protection, and determine suitable areas for new wells that may have greater yield.
期刊介绍:
Hydrogeology Journal was founded in 1992 to foster understanding of hydrogeology; to describe worldwide progress in hydrogeology; and to provide an accessible forum for scientists, researchers, engineers, and practitioners in developing and industrialized countries.
Since then, the journal has earned a large worldwide readership. Its peer-reviewed research articles integrate subsurface hydrology and geology with supporting disciplines: geochemistry, geophysics, geomorphology, geobiology, surface-water hydrology, tectonics, numerical modeling, economics, and sociology.