Determination of Groundwater Producing Zones in Kaduna Metropolis, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated groundwater producing zones in Kaduna metropolis using remote 
sensing and GIS techniques. The data used are Landsat 8 (OLI) 30m, Aster (30m), geologic, 
soil and topographic maps of the study area to generate the land use-land cover, slope, 
geologic rock types, soil textures and drainage density. All the attributes of each factor were 
rated and classified according to their importance to groundwater occurrence. Each factor 
was also weighted according to their importance to groundwater by using the Modified 
DRASTIC Model for simulation and integration. The weighted overlay technique was used in 
ArcGIS 10.0 to determine groundwater-producing zones. Groundwater potential map 
generated were classified into four classes that describe the productivity of each cell in the 
study area for groundwater exploration. These classes are poor, moderate, good and very 
good. It was found that about 30% of the area was classified as very good and found to be 
concentrated in the central part of the study area. About 26% and 23% of the area were 
classified as good and moderate areas respectively. The rest of the study area (21%) was 
classified as poor and found in northeast and southwest part of the study area. This result was 
verified against existing well data and field observations to validate the accuracy of the model. 
Geology and geomorphology were the most effective among the six factors as the major chief 
determinants of groundwater accumulation. The study recommends that other factors that 
affect groundwater accumulation should be incorporated in future research.