2024 Volume 63 Issue 3 Pages 69-79
In a semi-arid zone, digging wells improves access to drinking water. Wells could be dug efficiently with a high probability of success if potential groundwater sites could be estimated by remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS)-based methods. Thus, a potential groundwater map in semi-arid zones was created by applying folkloric knowledge to optical sensor data and geographical information. The test area is located in the Umerkot area, Sindh Province, Pakistan. By quantifying, weighting, and adding the topography, ground surface dryness and wetness, and the existence of vegetation and geology, we classified the total score for potential groundwater in the semi-arid zone (PGWSAZ), into five levels. The possibility of the existence of groundwater in the flood plain in the western part is higher than that in the desert in the eastern part of the test area. There were 67 wells in the eight villages selected for a detailed survey. The possibility of the existence of groundwater (PGWSAZ) at each existing well was examined. Of the 67 wells, 87% fell into the Moderate and Good classes, for which the possibility of the existence of groundwater was high. Therefore, it can be said that the created map is effective for determining candidate sites for digging wells.
