A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Technique Using Remote Sensors to Evaluate the Potential of Groundwater in the Arid Zone Basin of the Atacama Desert

Abstract

One of the most notable problems in the Atacama desert is the low occurrence of rainfall, which leads to a shortage of surface and groundwater for different users in the region. Therefore, the task of carrying out new exploration studies of potential groundwater zones (GWPZs) is of vital importance for decision-makers in water resources. The main objective of this research is to determine potential sources of groundwater using a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making technique with remote sensors. A method of exploration using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) techniques applied to remote sensing data is provided. The AHP method allows calculating the influence of multiple factors, and along with the GIS environment, a map of groundwater exploitation potential can be produced. The results indicating GWPZs showed four classifications of groundwater potential. The distribution shows 15.02%, 23.93%, 59.80%, and 1.25% of the total area with high, moderate, low, and very low potential, respectively. The results were validated with existing wells in the study area, offering an acceptance of 86.9%. This reveals the effectiveness and accuracy of the AHP-based GIS approach as a strategy for analyzing groundwater potential in arid zones. Similarly, the tested high GWP areas are helpful for the development and management of water resources in the Caplina basin.

Geospatial delineation of groundwater potential zones in the lower Okavango Delta, Botswana

“…To further elucidate the variations in slope characteristics, the values were reclassi ed into ve distinct subclasses: at slope areas (0 0 -1.07 0 ), gentle slope areas (1.08 0 -1.89 0 ), medium slope areas (1.9 0 -2.81 0 ), steep slope areas (2.82 0 -4.26 0 ), and very steep slope areas (4.27 0 -12.36 0 ). Areas characterized by at and gentle slope areas exhibit higher in ltration ratios due to their reduced surface runoff and longer residence time for water to in ltrate and recharge the saturated zones (Pocco et al, 2023). Consequently, these areas were assigned the highest weighting in the analysis.…”

“…Consequently, these areas were assigned the highest weighting in the analysis. Conversely, regions with very steep slopes experience rapid surface runoff, limiting in ltration and recharge capabilities (Pocco et al, 2023). Hence, these areas were assigned the lowest weighting due to their diminished groundwater potential.…”

Assessment of Greywater Reuse in a University Building in a Hyper-Arid Region: Quantity, Quality, and Social Acceptance

“…Tacna is a Peruvian city located in the southern coastal region. It is a hyper-arid area, situated at the head of the Atacama Desert [6,7], where precipitation does not exceed 10 mm per year in some areas [8,9]. In 2022, Tacna's Special Project conducted an update of the water balance for reserve purposes, indicating that the water supply is 13.2 m 3 /s, with a demand of 21.7 m 3 /s (for surface and groundwater sources), resulting in a water deficit of 8.45 m 3 /s [10].…”

Impacts of Groundwater Management Policies in the Caplina Aquifer, Atacama Desert

“…Since the 1980s, the water balance has been negative, and the state has not been able to adequately manage the scarce water resources that are available despite the different policies and regulations that were provided at the time [33][34][35]. The governability and governance crisis in the use of groundwater in the Caplina coastal aquifer is an element that contributes to the depletion and deterioration of groundwater quality due to marine intrusion processes [36][37][38][39].…”

“…In addition, several technical and scientific studies have been carried out in the Caplina aquifer basin to assess hydrodynamics, water quality, overexploitation, water availability, and climate change, among other aspects [29,35,36,[38][39][40][41][42]. However, these studies do not address in depth the effects of policies and regulations applied to groundwater management in the Caplina aquifer.…”