ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Water
Sec. Water and Critical Zone
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frwa.2025.1668087
This article is part of the Research TopicImpact of Climate Change on Groundwater-Seawater Interactions in Coastal ZonesView all articles
Integration of GIS and AHP Techniques for the Sustainability of Groundwater Potential Zones in the Coastal Environs
Provisionally accepted
Ratheesh Moses
Mahenthiran Sathiyamoorthy*- School of Civil Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, India
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Coastal aquifers are facing significant threats from overexploitation, seawater intrusion, and reduced recharge. Effective groundwater management necessitates a precise spatial evaluation of groundwater potential. This research aims to identify Groundwater Potential Zones (GWPZ) of Tarangambadi Taluk in Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu, using integrated GIS, Remote sensing, and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) methods. The study included fourteen thematic layers selected based on hydrogeological relevance. Each layer's weight was calculated utilizing the AHP methods, facilitated through analysis of weighted overlay in GIS to produce the spatial distribution of the GWPZ. The study zone was classified into five potential categories. Analysis indicates that 52% of the area is classified within high to very high potential zones, predominantly located in the central and western taluk, characterized by favorable geological conditions. Conversely, approximately 19% of the area, primarily along the eastern coastline, is categorized as low to very-low potential zones due to factors such as impervious surfaces and saline intrusion risks. The resulting GWPZ map aligns well with borewell data, affirming its precision and utility. The outcomes serve as a valuable resource for sustainable planning and aquifer management in coastal areas.
Keywords: Groundwater potential zones, remote sensing, AHP, Geographic Information Systems, Coastal aquifers, Seawater Intrusion
Received: 17 Jul 2025; Accepted: 18 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Moses and Sathiyamoorthy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mahenthiran Sathiyamoorthy, mahenthiran.s@vit.ac.in
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