Land suitability analysis for borehole siting using Geographic Information Systems and Analytic Hierarchy Process in Southern Malawi

Land suitability analysis for borehole siting using Geographic Information Systems and Analytic Hierarchy Process in Southern Malawi | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Land suitability analysis for borehole siting using Geographic Information Systems and Analytic Hierarchy Process in Southern Malawi Innocent Gomani, Jabulani Nyengere, Richard Mvula, Agness Hamisi, and 8 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8803409/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Groundwater obtained through boreholes is regarded as a reliable supply of clean, safe water in rural areas. The study aims to assess the suitability of land for borehole siting using Geographic Information System (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS), and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) within Phalombe district of Malawi. Thematic maps comprising eleven criteria; geology, rainfall, lineament density, soil type, slope, land use/cover, drainage density, distance to river, elevation, distance to households, and distance to roads were prepared using satellite data, pre-existing spatial data, and conventional maps. Field observation surveys and an in depth literature review were used to identify these criteria. All criteria and sub-classes were assigned weights using the AHP technique. Weighting was based on relative importance of the criteria for borehole siting. Weighted Overlay Analysis (WOA) was performed in ArcGIS environment. The WOA results were reclassified into five categories: highly suitable, suitable, moderately suitable, unsuitable, and highly unsuitable for borehole siting. The study found that about 29,841.7ha (21.2%) of Phalombe district is highly suitable, 62,685.3ha (44.6%) is suitable, 30,847.2ha (22%) is moderately suitable, 6,928.3ha (4.9%) is unsuitable, and 10,224ha (7.3%) is highly unsuitable for borehole siting. To validate the results, a suitability map was overlaid with 39 existing borehole yield data. About 32 boreholes were correctly classified representing 82.1% accuracy. To evaluate the model's performance, a ROC curve was also created using the borehole yield data. The AUC-ROC curve of 71% indicate good level of accuracy and robustness of methodology. In addition to lowering surveying costs and assisting decision makers in determining the best places to install perennial boreholes, this study supports Sustainable Development Goal No. 6 by ensuring the availability and sustainability of water for all. This study's methodology has proven to be accurate, thus it can be used in comparable studies for other research areas. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 31 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 28 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 23 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Mar, 2026 Editor invited by journal 09 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 02 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 28 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 28 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8803409","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":608072511,"identity":"e85e6838-6911-4934-b8ac-29b7baa2f276","order_by":0,"name":"Innocent 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The study aims to assess the suitability of land for borehole siting using Geographic Information System (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS), and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) within Phalombe district of Malawi. Thematic maps comprising eleven criteria; geology, rainfall, lineament density, soil type, slope, land use/cover, drainage density, distance to river, elevation, distance to households, and distance to roads were prepared using satellite data, pre-existing spatial data, and conventional maps. Field observation surveys and an in depth literature review were used to identify these criteria. All criteria and sub-classes were assigned weights using the AHP technique. Weighting was based on relative importance of the criteria for borehole siting. Weighted Overlay Analysis (WOA) was performed in ArcGIS environment. The WOA results were reclassified into five categories: highly suitable, suitable, moderately suitable, unsuitable, and highly unsuitable for borehole siting. 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