Integrating remote sensing, GIS, and AHP for delineation of groundwater potential zones in the drought-prone semi-arid Kadiri region of Andhra Pradesh, India

The present study aims to delineate Groundwater Potential Zones (GWPZs) in a drought-prone semi-arid region using an integrated framework of Remote Sensing (RS), Geographic Information System (GIS), and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Multiple hydrogeologically significant parameters including geology, geomorphology, slope, soil, drainage characteristics, lineament density (LD), and land use/land cover were analyzed to assess groundwater availability. Each thematic layer was assigned a relative weight using the AHP based on its influence on groundwater occurrence, and the weighted layers were integrated within a GIS environment to generate the GWPZ map. The resulting groundwater potential map classified the study area into five categories: Very Good, Good, Moderate, Poor, and Very Poor. The analysis reveals that 2.53% of the area falls under the Very Good category, indicating highly favorable hydrogeological conditions, while Good zones account for 20.35%, reflecting substantial recharge potential. Moderate zones cover 30.78% of the area, suggesting feasible groundwater prospects. In contrast, Poor (30.00%) and Very Poor (16.35%) zones represent regions experiencing considerable groundwater stress. The resultant GWPZs map was validated using ROC-AUC analysis, yielding an accuracy of 0.886. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of the RS-GIS-AHP approach for groundwater potential assessment and provides a reliable decision-support tool for sustainable groundwater management, recharge planning, and policy formulation in semi-arid environments.