Sisay Bayafers

Application of Remote Sensing and Gis for Groundwater Zone Mapping: Groundwater Potential Modeling of Northern Ada'a Plain (Modjo Catchment)using Remote Sensing and Gis Sisay Bayafers

Groundwater Modelling: Integrated approach with remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and more traditional fieldwork techniques was adopted to map the groundwater potential sites Northern Ada`a Plain (Modjo Catchment). Seven thematic maps was produced. GIS analysis was conducted and reclassification was done for each factor maps. Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) model was built and used to generate groundwater potential map. The validity of the model developed was tested against the borehole data, where out of 107 boreholes 50 are on very good and good zones, 37 on moderate zones, 14 on fair and 6 on poor zones. Moreover out of 52 bore holes with discharge rate from 24 l/s to 69 l/s are on the very good and good zones, which reflect the actual ground water potential. Although some wells exist in all ground water potential zones, the best yielding wells lie in the very good and good ground water prospect zone. The results demonstrate that the integration of remote sensing, GIS, traditional fieldwork, and geomorphology provide a powerful tool in the assessment and management of water resources and development of groundwater exploration plans.