Erbil Basin Groundwater Recharge Potential Zone Determination Using Fuzzy-Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in North Iraq

Abstract

Severe water scarcity has occurred in the Erbil Basin (EB) due to climate change and mismanagement of water resources during the past three decades. Assessment of the potential area of groundwater recharge is extremely significant for the protection and management of groundwater systems and water quality. This research aims to use the Fuzzy-Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) technique to recharge the aquifer in places in the EB that are likely to be groundwater recharge areas in a geographic information system (GIS) environment. GIS, remote sensing (RS), and F-AHP techniques were used to map the groundwater recharge potential zone in EB. Eight different geo-environmental factors were used to determine potential groundwater areas, namely: rainfall, lithology, geology, soil, slope, lineament density, land use/land cover (LULC), and drainage density (Dd). Then, the weights of the different thematic layers were assigned using a pairwise comparison matrix through the F-AHP. The total groundwater potential zone was shown to cover a very high area of 210.85 square kilometers (km2), a high area of 188.94 km2, a moderate area of 573.06 km2, a low area of 1956.48 km2, and a very low area of 216.34 km2, according to the groundwater recharge potential zones (GWRPZs) map. As a result, nearly one-third of the areas investigated were found to have moderate-to-very high groundwater recharge potential. This type of research can provide decision-makers and local governments with a broad perspective on current and future planning for groundwater scarcity.