Mapping Groundwater Potential Zones in Quetta Region, Balochistan, Pakistan using Geospatial Techniques

Abstract

Groundwater is a critical natural resource with significant implications for a region's socioeconomic, ecological, and environmental sustainability. This study was conducted in the Quetta region, where groundwater serves as the primary water source. The objective was to identify groundwater potential zones using remote sensing and GIS. Various thematic maps, including drainage density, slope, soil, lineament density, land use/land cover, and rainfall maps, were created. These maps were overlaid using the weighted overlay method through the Spatial Analysis tool in ArcGIS. During the weighted overlay analysis, each parameter in the thematic maps was ranked, and weights were assigned based on their influence: drainage density (10%), slope (10%), soil (40%), lineament density (5%), land use/land cover (25%), and rainfall (10%). The resulting map categorizes groundwater potential zones into low (4.659%), moderate (39.999%), and high (55.34%). This outcome provides valuable insights for regional water resource planning, contributing to the sustainable management of groundwater resources in Quetta. Furthermore, these approaches and findings hold significance for assessing groundwater potential in other drought-prone arid regions worldwide.