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Salinization is one of the main threats to groundwater quality around the world, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions (IPCC, 2007). Some of the major causes of high salinity include natural geological conditions, seawater intrusion, climate change affecting patterns of precipitation and evaporation, overexploitation of groundwater and poor irrigation practices (Amer and Vengosh, 2001; Russ et al., 2020). Salinity can reduce the availability of water for humans and wildlife and can negatively impact crop productivity and promote desertification. Desert regions in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya have natural characteristics that favour high salinity in groundwater. 80% of the population in the region depends on groundwater (UNICEF, 2020), and 69% of groundwater sources have salinity levels above the WHO health-based drinking water guideline of 1500 µS/cm.

Here, we use machine learning to spatially predict …