Author : Muhammad Imran Khan, Muhammad Qamer and Atta Mehroz

Effective groundwater management requires assessing vulnerability to pollution. While the SINTACS method is
widely used, it has limitations by not adequately considering hydrogeological parameters and supplementary data. To address SINTACS limitations, a modified approach (MSVILuLn) incorporates land use/cover and lineaments. Parameter weights were determined using analytic hierarchy process (MSVILuLn-AHP) and network process (MSVILuLn-ANP). Raster layers of nine parameters were analyzed in GIS to evaluate groundwater vulnerability index using SINTACS, MSVILuLn, MSVILuLn-AHP, and MSVILuLn-ANP. Nitrate concentrations from 48 wells were compared to validate results. MSVILuLn-ANP identified more very high/low vulnerability zones compared to others. It showed highest accuracy (91.7%) correlating vulnerability and nitrate levels. MSVILuLn-ANP offers a more comprehensive vulnerability assessment for groundwater management in Raipur city. Integrating SINTACS with GIS and objective weighting methods enhances spatial analysis of sensitive areas and prevents contamination.

Keywords: SINTACS, Groundwater, Vulnerability, GIS, Water Quality Index, Raipur city.