Multicriteria Groundwater Quality Assessment Using AHP–GIS Integration of Physiochemical and Geohydrological Parameters in the Bundelkhand Region, India

Utkarsh Bisen; Surya Pratap Singh

doi:10.63335/j.hp.2026.0036

Highlights

The integrated approach of the GIS platform and AHP technique reveals spatial variations in GWQI linking poor groundwater quality to low recharge hard rock terrains.
Effective, precise and informative method for groundwater quality assessment by integrating hydrogeological and physiochemical parameters.
The close interplay between hydrogeological factors and groundwater quality highlights the crucial role of recharge in mitigating poor groundwater conditions.

Abstract

This study introduces a novel approach by integrating the Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) technique of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) with Geographic Information System (GIS) to develop a Geospatial Groundwater Quality Index (GWQI) for the semi-arid Lalitpur district. To carry out the GWQI assessment, seven hydrogeological parameters, such as geology, geomorphology, lineament density, drainage density, slope, rainfall and Land use Land cover (LULC) thematic layers, were used in generating GWPZ. These layers were integrated with physiochemical parameters that include pH, TDS, Ca²⁺ , Mg²⁺ , Cl⁻ , HCO₃⁻ , CO₃²⁻, SO₄²⁻, F⁻ , and NO₃⁻ to generate GWQI. The weights are assigned based on their relative influence on groundwater quality. A Weighted Arithmetically Water Quality Index (WAWQI) map is prepared using physicochemical parameters alone and compared with the GWQI. The WAWQI categorises the study area into Very Poor (1.22%), Poor (11.54%), Moderate (32.41%), Good (43.40%), and Very Good (11.41%) classes. In contrast, the GWQI classified water quality into five categories and the percentage area was found to be Very Good (7 samples, 5.01%), Good (58 samples, 38.39%), Moderate (57 samples, 38.55%), Poor (25 samples, 17.12%), and Unsuitable (3 samples, 0.91%). A sympathetic relationship between the physiochemical parameters and hydrogeological parameters was observed. GWQI integrated method provide more valuable and informative results than WAWQI in the Lalitpur district.

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