Abstract

With fast population growth coupled with climbing irrigation demands have resulted in an alarming scarcity of surface water. Because it can be challenging to locate surface water that meets the needs of both home and agricultural uses, there is an increased need for groundwater. Because it has been difficult to find surface water resources that can satisfy household and agricultural needs, groundwater dependence has increased. Thus, this study endeavored to classify potential groundwater zones in district Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by leveraging a holistic approach comprising remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and multi influencing factors (MIF). The delineation of groundwater recharge considered various aspects such as precipitation, geology, land use and cover, slope gradients, soil classifications, drainage density, and lineament density. The MIF system was employed to ascertain the relative significance of each contributing factor. Following this, all thematic strata were integrated using the relative weights derived from MIF through a weighted overlay analysis conducted in a GIS environment to map potential groundwater regions. For the purpose of model validation and verification, 30 observed tube wells and bore well were marked and their depth were identified. This research identified that groundwater recharge areas comprised high (19.29%), moderate (61.18%), low (16.45%), and very low (3.06%) potential regions. The validation analysis exhibited a remarkable 90% concurrence between the groundwater inventory data and the designated potential groundwater zones. Consequently, these reliable findings aid decision-makers and water users in the sustainable exploitation of groundwater resources within the area under investigation as an alternative for developing agriculture and fulfilling domestic use.