Engineering Geology

Engineering Geology

Groundwater sustainability assessment in the Kermanshah aquifer based on indicators and analytic hierarchy process (AHP)

Authors
Faeze samadpoor 1
Morteza Mozafari 1
Majid Dashti Barmaki 2
Parisa Sharifi 1
1 University of Tehran
2 Tehran Regional Water Authority
10.22034/JEG.2025.19.4.1019831
Abstract
Groundwater plays a vital role in meeting the drinking and agricultural water needs of Kermanshah Plain. In order to protect the aquifer, it is important to evaluate its sustainability in the face of current and future demands and stresses. Groundwater sustainability indicators help ensure the sustainable management of these resources. This research aims to evaluate the sustainability of groundwater resources in the Kermanshah Plain using various indicators. To this end, AHP analysis was used to evaluate the sustainability indicator of this aquifer based on nine indicators in five quantitative, qualitative, environmental, social, and political sectors. First, the value of each indicator was calculated, and then its sustainability was evaluated using data transferred to GIS software and interpolation. Next, the weight and rank of each indicator and category were calculated to prepare an index-equivalent map. Then, using weighted overlap, the final sustainability map was obtained. Finally, the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was used to measure the accuracy of the results. The prepared sustainability map shows that indicators of groundwater storage changes and quality conditions are among the most important factors affecting the sustainability of the plain's groundwater resources. The results also show that the sustainability situation is weaker in the central areas and more favorable in the border areas (river headwaters) and southeast of the aquifer. To improve the sustainability of the region's groundwater resources, it is recommended that new water management policies be adopted with the participation of the people and based on scientific, principled solutions.
Keywords
Kermanshah Plain
groundwater
Sustainability Index
Analytical Hierarchy Process
ROC Curve
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