Suitable Zones for Groundwater Tapping Stations Using Geospatial Techniques in Morogoro Urban, Tanzania

Abstract

In recent years, Morogoro Urban has experienced significant water scarcityprimarily due to rising demand and limited surface water runoff frommountain slopes. Groundwater, therefore, offers a sustainable alternative tothe prevailing challenge. This paper uncovers suitable zones for groundwatertapping stations using a GIS-based weighted overlay analysis (WOA), andtriangulation of data acquisition methods. Supervised classification and changedetection analyses were carried out in thematic layers. The WOA available asa spatial analyst extension in ArcGIS 10.7 was performed to derive final mapsdepicting groundwater potential zones, and suitable locations for groundwatertapping stations. The results suggest that Morogoro Urban has threegroundwater potential zones: high (21.5%), moderate (30.2%), and low (48.3%).Zones highly suitable for groundwater tapping stations occupy 14.4% of thearea, while moderate and low suitability zones cover 55.6% and 30%,respectively. The high groundwater potential zones in Morogoro Urban aremainly influenced by land use and geological characteristics. Despite much ofthe area exhibiting moderate groundwater potential, the studied environmentis still conducive for the development of groundwater tapping stations. It isrecommended that groundwater development and management in MorogoroUrban be guided by an integrated approach that combines hydrogeologicalassessment with land-use planning. Town planners and river basin authoritiesmay potentially use the current results as a source of information in planningand designating suitable areas for development of boreholes and wells.