Identifying Optimum Sites in Rainwater Harvesting Structures Using Remote Sensing and GIS-Based Modeling to Meet Irrigation Demand

Abstract

Constructing dams in wadis to harvest rainwater and creating artificial farm ponds and percolation tanks are viable solutions to address water shortages in the Northwestern Coastal Region (NWCR) of Egypt. This study employs a multi-criteria decision analysis approach with the SWAT model to pinpoint optimal locations for rainwater harvesting (RWH) structures. The resulting thematic layers were combined into a single overlay to produce a map of RWH suitability. The results showed that 4.84% of the study region is ‘very highly suitable’ and 34.84% is ‘highly suitable’. On the other hand, 47.82% of the area, distributed in watershed is ‘moderately suitable while  12.5% is found as ‘unsuitable area. The findings of this research will contribute towards wider adoption of RWH in NWCR to meet irrigation demand

Keywords: GIS, multi-criteria decision analysis, SWAT model, rainwater harvesting, site suitability, northwestern coastal arid region