Аңдатпа
Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) has emerged as an effective approach for enhancing groundwater resources in water-scarce regions under increasing climate variability and growing water demand. However, most GIS-based MAR studies are limited to regional suitability mapping, whereas the hydrogeological feasibility of identified sites is rarely verified under field conditions. This study presents a multi-scale framework integrating regional GIS-based screening with detailed site-scale verification to improve the reliability of MAR suitability assessment in southeastern Kazakhstan. This research was conducted within the Zhetysu Alatau–Balkhash First-Order Hydrogeological Basin to develop and evaluate a multi-scale framework for identifying suitable MAR sites. Regional suitability assessment combined Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Monte Carlo simulation, Fuzzy Gamma analysis, remote sensing, and regional hydrochemical data. Based on the regional assessment, the Byzhy River Basin was selected as a representative site for detailed hydrological, hydrogeological, hydrochemical, LiDAR-based, and field investigations to verify regional suitability under actual hydrogeological conditions. The regional suitability assessment identified 21.82% (58.41 km 2 ) of the representative study area as highly suitable for MAR, while Monte Carlo simulation and Fuzzy Gamma analysis confirmed the robustness of the suitability model. Hydrological assessment indicated a positive long-term mean potential water balance of 27.69 mm·year −1 , suggesting sufficient water resources for MAR. Three double-ring infiltration tests yielded a mean field-saturated hydraulic conductivity of 1.92 m·day −1 (range: 1.86–1.96 m·day −1 ), indicating high infiltration capacity of the Quaternary alluvial deposits. Groundwater mineralization remained below 1 g·L −1 , and hydrogeological investigations confirmed a 50 m thick Quaternary alluvial aquifer suitable for MAR. Long-term daily river discharge records indicated a potential annual recharge volume of 17.44 million m 3 , representing only 2.33% of the effective aquifer storage capacity (746.8 million m 3 ), demonstrating substantial storage potential. The close agreement between the regional suitability assessment and field investigations demonstrates that the multi-scale framework substantially reduces uncertainty in GIS-based MAR site identification. By integrating regional suitability mapping with hydrological, hydrogeological, hydrochemical, LiDAR, and field investigations, the framework provides a transferable methodology for identifying and verifying MAR sites in arid and semi-arid regions, supporting groundwater management and long-term water resource planning.