Groundwater Potential Assessment in the Rural Loulouni Municipality (Southern Mali): Decision Tree Approach

Groundwater is the main source of drinking water for the rural population in the municipality of Loulouni in southern Mali. The municipality is experiencing water shortages due to population growth and climate variability. The objective of this study is to identify potential groundwater areas to facilitate the construction of boreholes and to help decision-makers improve the rate of access to drinking water in this municipality. The data used consisted of cartographic data, hydroclimatic data, borehole data, and satellite images. The decision tree method was used to map potential groundwater areas with seven decision criteria: slope, effective infiltration, drainage density, fracture density, alteration thickness, geology, and land use. Borehole flows were overlaid on the potentiality maps for validation of the thematic maps. The excellent and good classes dominate with 74%, and the poor and mediocre potentiality classes are poorly represented with 26% of the total area of the municipality. This thematic map, which indicates the potential groundwater-rich area, can be used as an aid for future prospecting and the realization of water wells in the rural municipality of Loulouni.