Determination of Potential Aquifer Recharge Zones Using Geospatial Techniques for Proxy Data of Gilgel Gibe Catchment, Ethiopia

The lack of valuable baseline information about groundwater availability hinders the robust decision-making process water management in humid, arid, and semi-arid climate regions world. In sustainable management, identifying spatiotemporal extrapolative monitoring potential zone is crucial. Thus, present study focused on determining aquifer recharge zones using geospatial techniques for proxy data Gilgel Gibe catchment, Ethiopia. Proxy are site derived from satellite imageries or conventional sources that operated as a layer attribute geographical system (GIS) to identify occurrence. First, GIS analytical hierarchy (AHP) were applied analyze ten controlling factors: slope, lithology, topographic position index lineament density, rainfall, soil, elevation, land use/cover, wetness index, drainage density. Each was given relative rank priority depending predictive implication potentiality. Next, normalized weight thematic layers evaluated multi-criteria decision analysis AHP algorithm with pairwise comparison matrix based infiltration significance. Lithology, use/cover dominant factors covering 50%. computed consistency ratio (CR = 0.092, less than 10%) (CI 0.1371) revealed reliability input layers’ analysis. Then, GIS-based weighted overlay performed delineate very high, moderate, low, low zones. delineated map ensures high (29%), (25%), moderate (28%), (13%), (5%) total area. According validation, most inventory wells located (57%), (32), (12%) validation results realized method affords substantial supportive development exploitation. Therefore, this could be vigorous enhance programs alleviate scarcity