Rabindra Nath Tiwari¹*, Brahmanand Sharma² and Ashish Kumar Mishra¹

¹Department of Geology, Pradhanmantri College of Excellence Government Model Science College, Rewa-486001(MP), India

² Department of Geology, Govt. Adarsh College, Umaria-484661(MP), India

(*Corresponding Author, E-mail: rntiwari33@gmail.com)

Abstract

The Tipan River, a tributary of Son River in Madhya Pradesh, India, is characterized by diverse geomorphic features such as pediment-pediplain complexes, low to moderately dissected hills, and an intricate river network. The soil of region ranges from clayey to loamy, underlain by geological formations including basalt, granite gneiss, limestone, and fine-grained sandstone. To address urgent need for sustainable groundwater management, this study integrates the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) with Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to delineate groundwater potential zones (GWPZs). Eight hydrological parameters – rainfall, geology, geomorphology, soil, land use/land cover (LULC), slope, drainage density, and lineament density—were selected based on their relevance to groundwater occurrence and recharge. These were weighted through AHP using Saaty’s 1–9 scale, with consistency verified (CI = 0.055, CR = 0.039). A weighted overlay analysis in ArcGIS Pro produced a GWPZ map, classifying basin into four classes: Poor (3.58%), Moderate (20.62%), Good (47.59%), and Very Good (28.21%). High groundwater potential was found in areas with gentle slopes, loamy soils, pediment-pediplain features, and high rainfall. The map’s accuracy was validated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC). Area Under Curve (AUC) value of 0.789, indicates strong predictive performance. Sensitivity analysis through the map removal method highlighted geology, geomorphology, and soil as the most influential parameters, while LULC showed minimal impact. This AHP-GIS approach offers a robust and replicable framework for groundwater assessment, supporting sustainable water resource planning in Tipan River Basin.

Keywords: Tipan River Basin, Analytical Hierarchy Process, Geographic Information System, Groundwater Potential Zones, Sensitivity Analysis