Abstract

The present study shows the groundwater potential assessment and an effective management of the groundwater resources in Bostanlik district, Uzbekistan based on the integrated utilization of remote sensing and GIS techniques. For the current study, various thematic spatial layers such as soil map, geology map, land use/land cover (LULC), elevation, slope, stream proximity, stream density, curvature, topographic wetness index (TWI) and precipitation are used to delineate groundwater potential zones. GIS based multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was applied. The percentage of groundwater potential zones identified using given factors is shown as 6%, 45%, 26%, 13%, and 10% respectively from very high to very low classes. High and very high probability of groundwater existence occurs within or across the Charvak reservoir and along the Chirchik river. Territories, covered by mountains have low and very low potential of groundwater resources. The rest of the territory has moderate potential for groundwater resources. For the validation of obtained results we have used 31 observed spring locations. Results of overlaying the final map with spring locations shows relatively high accuracy rate. The results of the research can be helpful for determining potential groundwater reserves of the Bostanlik district.