Abstract:
Islamabad stands out as the sole well-organized city in Pakistan. Nevertheless, it grapples with a severe predicament of groundwater depletion by swift population escalation, inadequate water administration, urban growth, deforestation, and the influx of numerous migrants. The existing demand for water in Islamabad rests at 220 million gallons per day, whereas the Capital Development Authority (CDA) of Islamabad furnishes a mere 70 million gallons daily. The pivotal task of locating promising Groundwater Potential Zones (GWPZ) assumes vital significance in revitalizing groundwater levels to address the pressing water scarcity. Therefore, this study aims to identify potential sites for Groundwater Potential Zones by using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and Frequency Ratio (FR) methods. To achieve the needed objective, nine local influencing factors such as soil, slope, water table, population density, LULC, drainage density, lineament density, precipitation and geology have been utilized in this study. Two different GWPZ maps were prepared from both techniques (AHP & FR) and the resulting maps have been classified into five classes, from not suitable to most suitable. Both techniques give satisfactory results. However, the GWPZ map from AHP yields more precise results, the Area Under Curve assessment value of 0.754, while for the FR the value was 0.64. Several mitigation measures were suggested including Rainwater harvesting, Artificial Lakes, Partial infiltration, and proper maintained sewerage system. A map depicting potential rainwater harvesting sites was also prepared using AHP. The resulting maps can be helpful for planning and implementation of hydraulic structures in this region.
