Comparative Validation of Groundwater Potential Zone Models Using VES, Borehole Records, and GIS/Remote Sensing in the Precambrian Basement of FCT Abuja: An AUC–ROC Performance Assessment

Abstract

Groundwater remains the principal source of potable water supply in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria, where rapid urbanization and increasing water demand have intensified pressure on the fractured Precambrian Basement Complex aquifer system. Reliable groundwater potential zone (GPZ) mapping is therefore essential for sustainable groundwater exploration and management. This study comparatively evaluated and validated groundwater potential models developed from Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing (GIS/RS), Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES), and borehole productivity records using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Eight groundwaterconditioning factors; rainfall, geology, slope, drainage density, lineament density, land use/land cover, soil type, and Topographic Wetness Index (TWI) were integrated within a GIS environment to develop the GIS/RS model, while aquifer thickness, overburden thickness, aquifer resistivity, and depth to aquifer were used for the VES model, and discharge, drawdown, and recovery parameters constituted the borehole model.