Enhancing hand-pump tubewells' functionality by appraising the suitability of site selection: an MCDM approach to achieve SDG 6

ABSTRACT Attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) — availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all – is especially daunting in semi-arid areas, where hydroclimatic uncertainty and poor water infrastructure complicate access to reliable groundwater. This study purposes an integrated geospatial approach that combines multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods and GIS to identify optimal tubewell locations and enhanced their efficiency and sustainability . A comprehensive tubewell functionality suitability map was developed by applying a weighted overlay analysis (WOA) structured through the integration of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) model, incorporating seven critical thematic layers: hydrological variables, topographic parameters, geoclimatic indicators, biophysical features, population density, irrigation water quality, and drinking water quality. To further investigate the causal relationships between these factors, the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique was applied. Model validation through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis gave an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.768, which confirms good predictive capacity and stability of the integrated method. The findings provide policy-relevant insights for improving groundwater management through location-specific interventions.