Estimation of groundwater potential using GIS modeling in Kohistan region Jamshoro district, Southern Indus basin, Sindh, Pakistan (a case study)

The subsurface groundwater potential was calculated through the Geographic Information System (GIS) tool in district Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan; research was carried out in the vulnerable and arid climatic regions of the study area, which experienced unpredictable droughts and extreme floods. The primary recharging source of the aquifer is rainfall only in monsoon season from July to September. The current situation of water resources is critical in the region; in the present research work, two principal groundwater aquifers were encountered present in lithology of Laki formation mostly in sand and gravel lithology, which are shallow and deep aquifers. The GIS has been employed as a preservative tool to estimate groundwater potential. The estimated groundwater potential was 29,330.22 million cubic meter (MCM) under the monitoring area of 3207.25 square kilometers (km2); thus, the volume of groundwater was 9.14 MCM/km2 in the selected cluster zone of the study area. It is realized that using a GIS tool combats the susceptible situation and shows authenticated results of groundwater potential.