Delineating the groundwater potential zones in Bangladesh

The objective of this research is to identify groundwater potential zones for Bangladesh. Fourteen influential factors associated with topography, geology and metrological concerns were applied for this study. Weights for factors and sub-factors within a factor were calculated based on pairwise comparisons. The groundwater potential zones were delineated through GIS-based weighted overlays of factor maps. According to the pairwise comparison, the consistency ratios for factors and sub-factors were within the allowable range (i.e., less than 0.10). General soil type (eigenvalue 0.17), geology (eigenvalue 0.16), and geomorphology (eigenvalue 0.15) were the most important factors in determining groundwater potential zoning. The groundwater potential index has maximum and minimum values of 45.99 and 10.34, respectively. According to the groundwater potential map, relatively higher groundwater potential zones were found in the southern parts of Bangladesh and along major rivers. The study's findings will be useful to government authorities in making evidence-based decisions about national water policy and planning.