Integrating remote sensing, GIS-based, and AHP techniques to delineate groundwater potential zones in the Moulouya Basin, North-East Morocco

Groundwater is a valuable shared resource in the Moulouya Basin, but it has been in decline due to recent years of low rainfall and rapid population growth. To support socio-economic development, there is increased demand for this precious resource. This paper presents a standard methodology for delimiting potential groundwater zones using geographic information systems (GIS), an integrated analytical hierarchy process (AHP), and remote sensing techniques. Seven parameters that monitor the presence and mobility of groundwater, including drainage density, lithology, slope, precipitation, land use/land cover, distance to river, and lineament density, were incorporated into a raster data model using ArcGIS software. AHP-based expert knowledge was used to prepare a groundwater potential index and assign weights to the thematic layers. The study classified the area into five zones of varying groundwater potential: very high (26