IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i24p16942-d1006493.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Delineating Groundwater Potential Zones in Hyper-Arid Regions Using the Applications of Remote Sensing and GIS Modeling in the Eastern Desert, Egypt

Author

Listed:
  • Hesham Morgan

    (Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt)

  • Hussien M. Hussien

    (Geology Department, Desert Research Center, El Mataryia, Cairo 11753, Egypt)

  • Ahmed Madani

    (Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt)

  • Tamer Nassar

    (Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt)

Abstract

The increasing demand for freshwater supplies and the effects of climate change in arid and hyper-arid regions are pushing governments to explore new water resources for food security assurance. Groundwater is one of the most valuable water resources in these regions, which are facing water scarcity due to climatic conditions and limited rainfall. In this manuscript, we provide an integrated approach of remote sensing, geographic information systems, and analytical hierarchical process (AHP) to identify the groundwater potential zone in the central Eastern Desert, Egypt. A knowledge-driven GIS-technique-based method for distinguishing groundwater potential zones used multi-criteria decision analysis and AHP. Ten factors influencing groundwater were considered in this study, including elevation, slope steepness, rainfall, drainage density, lineament density, the distance from major fractures, land use/land cover, lithology, soil type, and the distance from the channel network. Three classes of groundwater prospective zones were identified, namely good potential (3.5%), moderate potential (7.8%), and poor potential (88.6%) zones. Well data from the study area were used to cross-validate the results with 82.5% accuracy. During the last 8 years, the static water level of the Quaternary alluvium aquifer greatly decreased (14 m) due to excessive over pumping in the El-Dir area, with no recorded recharges reaching this site. Since 1997, there has been a noticeable decline in major rainfall storms as a result of climate change. The current study introduces a cost-effective multidisciplinary approach to exploring groundwater resources, especially in arid environments. Moreover, a significant modern recharge for shallow groundwater aquifers is taking place, even in hyper-arid conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Hesham Morgan & Hussien M. Hussien & Ahmed Madani & Tamer Nassar, 2022. "Delineating Groundwater Potential Zones in Hyper-Arid Regions Using the Applications of Remote Sensing and GIS Modeling in the Eastern Desert, Egypt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-30, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:24:p:16942-:d:1006493
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/24/16942/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/24/16942/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Madan Jha & Alivia Chowdhury & V. Chowdary & Stefan Peiffer, 2007. "Groundwater management and development by integrated remote sensing and geographic information systems: prospects and constraints," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 21(2), pages 427-467, February.
    2. Unesco Unesco, 2015. "Water for a Sustainable World," Working Papers id:6657, eSocialSciences.
    3. Rajat Agarwal & P. Garg, 2016. "Remote Sensing and GIS Based Groundwater Potential & Recharge Zones Mapping Using Multi-Criteria Decision Making Technique," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(1), pages 243-260, January.
    4. Deepesh Machiwal & Madan Jha & Bimal Mal, 2011. "Assessment of Groundwater Potential in a Semi-Arid Region of India Using Remote Sensing, GIS and MCDM Techniques," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 25(5), pages 1359-1386, March.
    5. Rajat Agarwal & P. K. Garg, 2016. "Remote Sensing and GIS Based Groundwater Potential & Recharge Zones Mapping Using Multi-Criteria Decision Making Technique," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(1), pages 243-260, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Neslihan Beden & Nazire Göksu Soydan-Oksal & Sema Arıman & Hayatullah Ahmadzai, 2023. "Delineation of a Groundwater Potential Zone Map for the Kızılırmak Delta by Using Remote-Sensing-Based Geospatial and Analytical Hierarchy Processes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-21, July.
    2. Duong Hai Ha & Phong Tung Nguyen & Romulus Costache & Nadhir Al-Ansari & Tran Phong & Huu Duy Nguyen & Mahdis Amiri & Rohit Sharma & Indra Prakash & Hiep Le & Hanh Bich Thi Nguyen & Binh Thai Pham, 2021. "Quadratic Discriminant Analysis Based Ensemble Machine Learning Models for Groundwater Potential Modeling and Mapping," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 35(13), pages 4415-4433, October.
    3. Pazhuparambil Jayarajan Sajil Kumar & Lakshmanan Elango & Michael Schneider, 2022. "GIS and AHP Based Groundwater Potential Zones Delineation in Chennai River Basin (CRB), India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-22, February.
    4. Sangita Dey & U. K. Shukla & P. Mehrishi & R. K. Mall, 2021. "Appraisal of groundwater potentiality of multilayer alluvial aquifers of the Varuna river basin, India, using two concurrent methods of MCDM," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(12), pages 17558-17589, December.
    5. Jha, Madan K. & Chowdary, V.M. & Kulkarni, Y. & Mal, B.C., 2014. "Rainwater harvesting planning using geospatial techniques and multicriteria decision analysis," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 96-111.
    6. Shabnam Mehrnoor & Maryam Robati & Mir Masoud Kheirkhah Zarkesh & Forough Farsad & Shahram Baikpour, 2023. "Land subsidence hazard assessment based on novel hybrid approach: BWM, weighted overlay index (WOI), and support vector machine (SVM)," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 115(3), pages 1997-2030, February.
    7. Xue Wang & Kun Tan & Kailei Xu & Yu Chen & Jianwei Ding, 2019. "Quantitative Evaluation of the Eco-Environment in a Coalfield Based on Multi-Temporal Remote Sensing Imagery: A Case Study of Yuxian, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-18, February.
    8. Senapati, Ujjal & Das, Tapan Kumar, 2024. "Delineation of potential alternative agriculture region using RS and AHP-based GIS techniques in the drought prone upper Dwarakeswer river basin, West Bengal, India," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 490(C).
    9. Prabir Mukherjee & Chander Singh & Saumitra Mukherjee, 2012. "Delineation of Groundwater Potential Zones in Arid Region of India—A Remote Sensing and GIS Approach," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 26(9), pages 2643-2672, July.
    10. Biswajit Das & Subodh Chandra Pal, 2020. "Assessment of groundwater recharge and its potential zone identification in groundwater-stressed Goghat-I block of Hugli District, West Bengal, India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(6), pages 5905-5923, August.
    11. Ting Liu & Sherong Zhang & Chao Wang, 2021. "A BIM-Based Safety Management Framework for Operation and Maintenance in Water Diversion Projects," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 35(5), pages 1619-1635, March.
    12. Xinyang Liu & Yu Wang, 2022. "Identification and Assessment of Groundwater and Soil Contamination from an Informal Landfill Site," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-16, December.
    13. Ujjayini Priya & Muhammad Anwar Iqbal & Mohammed Abdus Salam & Md. Nur-E-Alam & Mohammed Faruque Uddin & Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam & Showmitra Kumar Sarkar & Saiful Islam Imran & Aweng Eh Rak, 2022. "Sustainable Groundwater Potential Zoning with Integrating GIS, Remote Sensing, and AHP Model: A Case from North-Central Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-24, May.
    14. Mahenthiran Sathiyamoorthy & Uma Shankar Masilamani & Aaron Anil Chadee & Sreelakhmi Devi Golla & Mohammed Aldagheiri & Parveen Sihag & Upaka Rathnayake & Jyotendra Patidar & Shivansh Shukla & Aryan K, 2023. "Sustainability of Groundwater Potential Zones in Coastal Areas of Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu, South India Using Integrated Approach of Remote Sensing, GIS and AHP Techniques," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-15, March.
    15. Tarun Kumar & Amar Gautam & Tinu Kumar, 2014. "Appraising the accuracy of GIS-based Multi-criteria decision making technique for delineation of Groundwater potential zones," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 28(13), pages 4449-4466, October.
    16. Roshani Singh & Aditya Kumar Anand & Pallavi Banerjee Chattopadhyay, 2022. "Investigation of Topographical Controls on the Groundwater Potential Zone in a Hilly Watershed Using a Geospatial and Geophysical Approach," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(13), pages 5313-5333, October.
    17. Guigui Xu & Xiaosi Su & Yiwu Zhang & Bing You, 2021. "Identifying Potential Sites for Artificial Recharge in the Plain Area of the Daqing River Catchment Using GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-15, April.
    18. Veysel Aslan & Recep Çelik, 2021. "Integrated GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Analysis for Groundwater Potential Mapping in the Euphrates’s Sub-Basin, Harran Basin, Turkey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-16, July.
    19. Ciro Figueiredo & Caroline Mota, 2019. "Learning Preferences in a Spatial Multiple Criteria Decision Approach: An Application in Public Security Planning," International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making (IJITDM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 18(04), pages 1403-1432, July.
    20. Uday Mandal & Satiprasad Sahoo & Selva Balaji Munusamy & Anirban Dhar & Sudhindra N. Panda & Amlanjyoti Kar & Prasanta K. Mishra, 2016. "Delineation of Groundwater Potential Zones of Coastal Groundwater Basin Using Multi-Criteria Decision Making Technique," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(12), pages 4293-4310, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:24:p:16942-:d:1006493. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.