Abstract
Identifying potential sites for water harvesting (WH) is a crucial task for efficient water resources management in arid regions. In response, this paper proposes a geographical information system-based model that combines fuzzy logic and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to delineate suitable areas for constructing WH structures in arid southern Iraq. Based on a literature review and available data, five influential factors were selected to develop the model: hydrological soil group, land cover, surface runoff depth, slope, and distance to an intermittent river. A fuzzy logic-based approach was used to standardize the factors, and AHP was used to derive weights. The total score for land suitability was obtained from a linear aggregation of the products of fuzzy standard criteria and AHP-derived weights. The WH suitability levels obtained were classified into five different classes: unsuitable, poor, moderate, good, and excellent. The study revealed that 393 \(\hbox {km}^{2}\) (18% of the area) is unsuitable or poor, 538 \(\hbox {km}^{2}\) (26%) is moderately suitable, and 1167 \(\hbox {km}^{2}\) (56%) is good or excellent for WH in the study area. Field data revealed that the only existing WH dam in the area is situated within an excellent WH-suitable zone, which indicates the capability of the developed model to identify areas suitable for different WH structures.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
African Development Bank: Rainwater Harvesting Handbook: Assessment of Best Practises and Experience in Water Harvesting. African Development Bank, Tunis (2009)
Botha, J.J.; Joseph, L.F.; Anderson, J.J.; Berhanu, A.F.: Classifiation of Rainwater Harvesting Technologies. Paper Read at 3rd International Forum on Water and Food, Tshwane, South Africa. CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food. Colombo, Sri Lanka (2011)
Mekdaschi Studer, R.; Liniger, H.: Water Harvesting: Guidelines to Good Practice. Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), Bern; Rainwater Harvesting Implementation Network (RAIN), Amsterdam; MetaMeta, Wageningen; The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Rome (2013)
Yousif, M.; Bubenzer, O.: Geoinformatics application for assessing the potential of rainwater harvesting in arid regions. Case study: El Dabaa area, Northwestern Coast of Egypt. Arab. J. Geosci. 8(11), 9169–9191 (2015). doi:10.1007/s12517-015-1837-0
Sur, H.S.; Bhardwaj, A.; Jindal, P.K.: Performance evaluation and impact assessment of a small water-harvesting structure in the Shiwalik foothills of northern India. Am. J. Altern. Agric. 16, 124–129 (2001). doi:10.1017/S0889189300009036
Li, F.; Cook, S.; Geballe, G.T.; Burch Jr., W.R.: Rainwater Harvesting Agriculture: An Integrated System for Water Management on Rainfed Land in China’s Semiarid Areas. Ambio. J. Hum. Environ. 29(8), 477 (2000). doi:10.1579/0044-7447-29.8.477
Mbilinyi, B.; Tumbo, S.; Mahoo, H.; Mkiramwinyi, F.: GIS-based decision support system for identifying potential sites for rainwater harvesting. Phys. Chem. Earth Parts A/B/C 32(15), 1074–1081 (2007)
El-Awar, F.A.; Makke, M.K.; Zurayk, R.A.; Mohtar, R.H.: A hydro-spatial hierarchical method for siting water harvesting reservoirs in dry areas. Appl. Eng. Agric. 16, 395–404 (2000). doi:10.13031/2013.5223
Ramakrishnan, D.; Bandyopadhyay, A.; Kusuma, K.: SCS-CN and GIS-based approach for identifying potential water harvesting sites in the Kali Watershed, Mahi River Basin, India. Earth Syst. Sci. 118(4), 355–368 (2009). doi:10.1007/s12040-009-0034-5
Singh, J.; Singh, D.; Litoria, P.: Selection of suitable sites for water harvesting structures in Soankhad watershed, Punjab using remote sensing and geographical information system (RS&GIS) approach–A case study. J. Indian Soc. Remote Sens. 37(1), 21–35 (2009). doi:10.1007/s12524-009-0009-7
Nykänen, V.: Prospectivity mapping in GIS :integrate geochemistry data with geophysics and geology in the 25th International Applied Geochemistry Symposium In: Vuorimiesyhdistys, vol. B92-5. p. 88 Rovaniemi, Finland (2011)
Gbanie, S.P.; Tengbe, P.B.; Momoh, J.S.; Medo, J.; Kabba, V.T.S.: Modelling landfill location using geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA): case study Bo. Southern Sierra Leone. Appl. Geogr. 36, 3–12 (2013). doi:10.1016/j.apgeog.2012.06.013
Lai, S.-K.: A preference-based interpretation of AHP. Omega 23(4), 453–462 (1995). doi:10.1016/0305-0483(95)00025-J
Saaty, T.L.: The Analytic Hierarchy Process: Planning, Priority Setting, Resource Allocation. McGraw-Hill International Book Co, New York (1980)
Hajkowicz, S.; Collins, K.: A review of multiple criteria analysis for water resource planning and management. Water Resour. Manage 21(9), 1553–1566 (2007). doi:10.1007/s11269-006-9112-5
Rahmati, O.; Samani, A.N.; Mahdavi, M.; Pourghasemi, H.R.; Zeinivand, H.: Groundwater potential mapping at Kurdistan region of Iran using analytic hierarchy process and GIS. Arab. J. Geosci. 8(9), 1–13 (2014). doi:10.1007/s12517-014-1668-4
Bui, D.T.; Pradhan, B.; Lofman, O.; Revhaug, I.; Dick, O.B.: Spatial prediction of landslide hazards in Hoa Binh province (Vietnam): a comparative assessment of the efficacy of evidential belief functions and fuzzy logic models. Catena 96, 28–40 (2012). doi:10.1016/j.catena.2012.04.001
Gorsevski, P.V.; Jankowski, P.: An optimized solution of multi-criteria evaluation analysis of landslide susceptibility using fuzzy sets and Kalman filter. Comput. Geosci. 36(8), 1005–1020 (2010). doi:10.1016/j.cageo.2010.03.001
Lee, S.: Application and verification of fuzzy algebraic operators to landslide susceptibility mapping. Environ. Geol. 52(4), 615–623 (2007). doi:10.1007/s00254-006-0491-y
Al-Taiee, T.; Rasheed, A.: Hydro engineering study of surface runoff water harvesting in Al-Ajeej basin, north of Iraq. Tikrit. J. Eng. Sci. 18(1), 15–28 (2011)
Zakaria, S.; Al-Ansari, N.; Knutsson, S.; Ezz-Aldeen, M.: Rain Water Harvesting at Eastern Sinjar Mountain, Iraq. J. Geosci. Res. 3(2), 100–108 (2012)
Kareem, I.R.: Artificial groundwater recharge in Iraq through rainwater harvesting (Case Study). Eng. Tech. J. 31(6), 1069–1080 (2012)
Al-Ansari, N.; Ezz-Aldeen, M.; Knutsson, S.; Zakaria, S.: Water harvesting and reservoir optimization in selected areas of South Sinjar mountain. Iraq. J. Hydrol. Eng. 18(12), 1607–1616 (2013)
Hameed, H.: Water harvesting in Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan region, Iraq: detection of suitable sites using geographic information system and remote sensing. Unpublished Master thesis (2013)
Al-Ansari, N.; Ali, A.A.; Knutsson, S.: Present conditions and future challenges of water resources problems in Iraq. J. Water Res. Prot. 6(12), 1066–1098 (2014)
Al-Abadi, A.M.; Shahid, S.: A comparison between index of entropy and catastrophe theory methods for mapping groundwater potential in an arid region. Environ. Monit. Assess 187(9), 1–21 (2015). doi:10.1007/s10661-015-4801-2
Al-Abadi, A.M.; Al-Shammaa, A.M.; Aljabbari, M.H.: A GIS-based DRASTIC model for assessing intrinsic groundwater vulnerability in northeastern Missan governorate, southern Iraq. Appl. Water. Sci. (2014). doi:10.1007/s13201-014-0221-7
Al-Abadi, A.: Hydrological and Hydrogeological Analysis of Northeaster Missan Governorate, South of Iraq Using Geographic Information System. Doctoral Thesis, Baghdad University (2012)
Jassim, S.Z.; Goff, J.C.: Geology of Iraq. Dolin, Prague and Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic (2006)
Bellen, R.C.; Dunnington, H.V.; Wetzel, R.; Morton, D.: Lexique Stratigraphique International, Asie . Iraq. Intern Geol Conger Comm Stratigr, 3,Fasc, 10a: 333p (1959)
Drobne, S.; Lisec, A.: Multi-attribute decision analysis in GIS: weighted linear combination and ordered weighted averaging. Informatica 33, 459–474 (2009)
Eastman, J.R.; Clark, L.: IDRISI kilimanjaro: Guide to GIS and Image Processing. Clark Labs, Clark University, Worcester (2003)
Lohani, A.; Goel, N.; Bhatia, K.: Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy inference system for modeling stage-discharge relationship. J. Hydrol. 331(1), 146–160 (2006). doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.05.007
Rezaee, M.R.; Ilkhchi, A.K.; Barabadi, A.: Prediction of shear wave velocity from petrophysical data utilizing intelligent systems: an example from a sandstone reservoir of Carnarvon Basin. Aust. J. Petrol. Sci. Eng. 55(3), 201–212 (2007). doi:10.1016/j.petrol.2006.08.008
Saggaf, M.; Nebrija, L.: A fuzzy logic approach for the estimation of facies from wire-line logs. AAPG Bull. 87(7), 1223–1240 (2003)
Tsoukalas, L.; Uhrig, R.: Fuzzy and Neural Approaches in Engineering. Wiley, London (1997)
Yazdi, Z.; Rad, A.R.J.; Ajayebi, K.S.: Analysis and modeling of geospatial datasets for porphyry copper prospectivity mapping in Chahargonbad area, Central Iran. Arab. J. Geosci. 8, 1–12 (2015)
Carr, M.H.; Zwick, P.D.: Smart Land-Use Analysis: The LUCIS Model Land-Use Conflict Identification Strategy. ESRI Press, Redlands (2007)
Saaty, T.L.; Vargas, L.G.: Models, Methods, Concepts and Applications of the Analytic Hierarchy Process, International Series in Operations Research and Management Science, vol. 34. Kluwer, Boston (2000)
Mustafa, M.; Al-Bahar, J.F.: Project risk assessment using the analytic hierarchy process. IEEE Trans. Eng. Manag. 38(1), 46–52 (1991)
Mahmoud, S.H.; Alazba, A.: The potential of in situ rainwater harvesting in arid regions: developing a methodology to identify suitable areas using GIS-based decision support system. Arab. J. Geosci. 8, 1–13 (2014). doi:10.1007/s12517-014-1535-3
de Winner, G.; Jewitt, G.P.W.; Horan, M.: A GIS-based approach for identifying potential runoff harvesting sites in the Thukela River basin, South Africa. Phys. Chem. Earth 32, 1058–1067 (2007). doi:10.1016/j.pce.2007.07.009
Munyao, J.: Use of Satellite Products to Assess Water Harvesting Potential in Remote Areas of Africa. A case study of Unguja Island, Zanzibar. M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation in Water Resource and Environmental Mangement, ITC, Enschede (2010)
US Department of Agriculture.: Urban hydrology for small watersheds. Engineering Division, Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, [Washington, D.C.] (1975)
USDA-SCS: Storm Rainfall Depth. In: National Engineering Handbook Series, Part 630, Chapter 4, Washington, DC (1993)
SCS: Hydrology National Engineering Handbook, Supplement A, Section 4 Chapter 10, Soil Conservation Service, USDA, Washington, DC. Washington (1956)
Cronshey, R.: Urban hydrology for small watersheds. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Engineering Division, [Washington, D.C.] (1986)
Al-Abadi, A.; Al-Aboodi, A.: Optimum rain-Gauges network design of some cities in Iraq. J. Babylon Univ. Eng. Sci. 22(4), 946–958 (2014)
Al-Abadi, A.M.; Shahid, S.; Al-Ali, A.K.: Environ. Earth Sci 75, 687 (2016). doi:10.1007/s12665-016-5523-7
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Al-Abadi, A.M., Shahid, S., Ghalib, H.B. et al. A GIS-Based Integrated Fuzzy Logic and Analytic Hierarchy Process Model for Assessing Water-Harvesting Zones in Northeastern Maysan Governorate, Iraq. Arab J Sci Eng 42, 2487–2499 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-017-2487-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-017-2487-1