Determination of Suitable Places for Pumping of Brackish Groundwater, A Case Study: Bajestan Plain

Fresh groundwater resources have been always among the most important water resources in arid and semi-arid regions, and pumping of water from these resources are significantly more important in the mentioned regions rather than other climates. Although these resources are extremely limited, but suitable management can play an important role in protecting them. Pumping and desalination of saltwater is one of the methods to avoid saltwater leveling and provide needed fresh water. Present research has used Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to find suitable locations for saltwater pumping over Bajestan aquifer. Applied parameters include slope, aquifer properties, distance to facilities, groundwater quality, wells’ flow rate and the distance from the desert of Bajestan. The results Showed that water quality, flow rate, groundwater level drawdown and the distance from the desert of Bajestan have the highest impact, whereas the distance from the facilities has the lowest impact on the selection of the location for water pumping. The best area for the extraction of saltwater was found to be the southwestern part of the basin under study that covers 38.3% of the basin surface.