Development of groundwater potential map of Umaru Musa Yar'adua University

Abstract

Water is very important to both living and none living things. The aim was to determine the subsurface resistivity values related to groundwater, identify aquifer-bearing formations, and understand the geological layers present in the area. A total of 10 VES stations were surveyed using the Schlumberger array with a maximum current electrode (AB/2) of 100 meters and 20 meters for potential electrode (MN/2). Ohm meter was used to collect the resistance value and converted to the apparent resistivity before processing it in I2IPWIN software. The results were compared with nearby borehole records to improve accuracy. The findings revealed several promising zones for groundwater, with variations in resistivity pointing to the presence of water-bearing formations. The interpreted data were then processed in ArcGIS software to create a groundwater potential map by linking each VES point to its geographic location. This map helps visualize areas with good groundwater prospects. It is recommended that further surveys be extended to other parts of the university using wider coverage methods, such as roll-along resistivity profiling, to get a more complete picture of groundwater availability.