## 4 Conclusions  
A total of 50 vertical electrical soundings (VES) were analyzed and true resistivities with the thickness of individuals have been identified. The results showed that resistivity values range from 20 to90 ohm-m with a minimum thickness of 57 m while the maximum thickness of 178 m of unconfined aquifer material consists of dominant sand containing fresh, marginally fresh, and brackish water. Further based on true resistivity values various aquifer regions of fresh, brackish, and saline water were differentiated. The lithology consists of silt/clay having resistivity <20 ohm-m representing saline water. Sand containing marginally fresh water and freshwater having resistivity 20-40 and 40-55 ohm-m, respectively. Whereas a mixture of sand and gravel containing freshwater having resistivity values ranged from 55-90 ohmmeters. Based on this standardization (Table 2), the water quality at different depths has been interpreted based on true resistivity values. This calibration shows the intermixing of resistivity values for subsurface layers, which cause overlapping of fresh-brackish and brackish-saline groundwater zones.  
Hydraulic properties of the area were estimated by using the pumping test data, hydraulic conductivities estimated in the lab, VES data, and previously established regression equation. In the current study, the focus was to evaluate the hydraulic conductivity and afterward transmissivity, porosity, formation factor, and tortuosity based on the estimated value of K. The estimated hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, porosity, formation factor, and tortuosity values of the aquifer range from 4.4 to 85.6 m/day, 674 to 8986 m\({}^{2}\)/day, 32 to 45 %, 4 to 12, and 13 to 20, respectively. Higher hydraulic conductivities were encountered in the southern portion of the area near the junction of the river as compared to the rest of the area. The porosity is also in an increasing trend. It is also concluded that the polygons representing aquifer having T > 5700 m\({}^{2}\)/day and K > 40 m/day, are considered excellent aquifer which can yield a large quantity of water. On the other hand, the polygons with T < 1100 m\({}^{2}\)/day and K < 13 m/day are considered combatively low yield aquifer.  
Conceptualization, G.A. and Y.G.; methodology, G.A.; software, G.A., M.H.; validation, G.A., Y.S. and Y.G.; formal analysis, M.H., G.A.; investigation, G.A. and Y.G.; resources, Y.G. and Y.S.; data curation, Y.S. and M.H.; writing--original draft preparation, M.H. and Y.G.; writing--review and editing, G.A. and Y.S.; visualization, G.A.; supervision, Y.G.; project administration, Y.G.; funding acquisition, Y.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research is financially supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences President's International Fellowship Initiative (Grant No. 2021 VCA0010) and the International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (2018 YFE0100100).  
**Acknowledgments:** The authors wish to acknowledge the Chinese Academy of Sciences President's International Fellowship Initiative and the International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China financially supported the current research. The authors would like to greatly acknowledge the support extended by the Director (Hydrology) Of PCRWR. Special thanks of gratitude to the Director and Executive Director of China-Pakistan Joint Research Centre (CPJRC) on Earth Sciences for their encouragement, support during the entire period of research.  
**Conflicts of Interest:** No conflict of interest.