Application of GIS, Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques for Mapping Groundwater Potential Zones: A Case Study of Thalawa Division, Sri Lanka

Groundwater resources are depleting due to phenomena such as significant climate change and overexploitation. Therefore, it is essential to estimate water production and identify potential groundwater zones. An integrated conceptual framework comprising GIS and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) has been applied for the present study to identify groundwater potential areas in the Thalawa division of Sri Lanka. The criteria, including rainfall, soil types, slope, stream density, lineament density, geology, geomorphology, and land use, were taken into account as the most contributing factors when identifying the groundwater zones. Weights were allocated proportionally to the eight thematic layers according to their importance. Hierarchical ranking and final normalized weighting of these determinants were performed using the pairwise comparison matrix (PCM) available in AHP. Based on the results obtained, the groundwater potential zone (GWPZ) was classified into three regions: low potentiality (33.4%), moderate potentiality (55.8%), and high potentiality (10.6%). Finally, the zoning map was compared to find consistency with field data on groundwater discharge and depth taken from 18 wells in the division. The results revealed that the GIS-multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach brings about noticeably better results, which can support groundwater resource planning and sustainable use in the research area.