Freshwater scarcity is the major issue in Kuwait despite small freshwater pockets in the Raudhatain (RAU) and Umm Al-Aish (UAA) regions. Over-exploitation of groundwater has increased salinity, resulting in unsustainable water use, exacerbated by climate change. Therefore, this study aimed to identify groundwater flow patterns, recharge dynamics, and geochemical processes of a groundwater lens. The elevation profile, subsurface lithology, and water level variations indicate groundwater flows from UAA to RAU. The enhanced oil recovery operations initiated in 2015, as well as the use of saline water for oil exploration control during the Gulf War, have led to an increase in electrical conductivity in groundwater. However, lower salinity levels were also observed in a few RAU samples. PCA analysis identified that ion exchange processes and mineral dissolution are the major geogenic processes governing geochemistry apart from anthropogenic influence. Recharge characteristics were identified in samples P01, P03, P04, P06, P09, and P13 evidenced by the isotopic values of Deuterium (delta 2H), Oxygen (delta 18O), Tritium (3H), and Non- Radioactive Carbon (delta 13C) and Radioactive Carbon (14C) suggesting the recharge including in-situ from the various sources which was also supported by pCO2 data and the flow path from UAA to RAU. The combined data of electrical conductivity, percent modern carbon (14C) and Tritium ages were mapped using Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The inference from the DEM was that the central basin of the RAU region has been identified as modern recharge. Additionally, noble gas data of Helium and Neon for selected wells indicated atmospheric inputs, reflecting younger water in the wells P01, P02, P03, P04, and P07. Overall, the groundwater in the RAU region has the modern signatures of recharge reflected in a few samples with lower EC, while a few have higher EC due to mixing of saline water by the lateral movement from UAA to RAU, especially along the periphery of the basin. The outcome of the study is vital for sustainable groundwater management in arid regions.Graphical abstractThe graphical abstract highlights the key findings of the study conducted on groundwater lenses in the Raudhatain (RAU) and Umm Al Aish (UAA) region of northern Kuwait. The study inferred that the groundwater flows from UAA to RAU, despite RAU being in an elevated region, and groundwater in UAA has a shallow water level. The ion exchange process and anthropogenic activities are significant during the groundwater flow from UAA to RAU. A Digital Elevation model was used to map Electrical Conductivity (EC), Tritium (3H), and percent modern carbon (14C) in the RAU region. The central part of the RAU basin, with low elevation, reflected higher tritium and 14C values, indicating modern groundwater recharge (P13), while P03 reflected low Tritium and higher 14C. Both the samples reflected depleted isotopes of delta 2H and delta 18O. Higher EC values were observed along the periphery of the basin, suggesting contamination by saline water. Conversely, lower EC samples in RAU wells had higher delta-excess with the isotopic signatures of delta 2H, delta 18O representing recharge from the various sources. These findings were also confirmed by geochemical, geostatistical, isotopic, non-radioactive and radioactive carbon, pCO2 and noble gas studies in groundwater. Further, the noble gas data revealed that the selected samples reflected atmospheric ends and were characteristic of meteoric recharge.