Article 17 JSSM Volume 16 Number 7 October 2021

Journal of Sustainability Science and Management eISSN: 2672-7226
Volume 16 Number 7, October 2021: 218-236 © Penerbit UMT
MULTI-CRITERIA ANALYSIS FOR SELECTING SUITABLE SITES OF WATER

HARVESTING IN NORTHERN AL THARTHAR WATERSHED
RAID MAHMOOD FAISAL1* AND MOHAMMED ABDAKI2

1
Department of Environmental Technology, College of Environmental Sciences & Technology, Mosul University, 41002,
Mosul, Iraq. 2Department of Environmental Technology, College of Environmental Sciences & Technology, Mosul University,
41002, Mosul, Iraq.
*Corresponding author: raidalfaisal@uomosul.edu.iq

Submitted final draft: 28 July 2020 Accepted: 23 September 2020 http://doi.org/10.46754/jssm.2021.10.017
Abstract: Water scarcity in Iraq is becoming a critical issue as demand increases,

particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. In response, water harvesting (WH) is a promising
technique that can effectively catch surface runoff and thus it could cover different water
needs and mitigate droughts. The study objective is to identify and select potential suitable
sites for theerection of dams for water harvesting in the northern Al-Tharthar watershed.
The study focuses on building an integrated GIS-based multi-criteria model and by using
Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), where relative importance is obtained from (AHP)
through use of ArcGIS 10.5. The model combines 7 Biophysical criterions including: slope,
elevation, stream orders, annual rainfall, soil texture, land cover/land use, and runoff zones.
However, 4 socio-economic criteria include: settlements and roads, population and rural
density, agriculture density, and livestock water demand. Biophysical criteria importance
weighted around 84.62% whereas socio-economic importance is 15.38% in the model. The
final score for the degree of suitability is produced by using Raster Calculator, it includes 5
classes, from very high suitability to very low suitability. The results demonstrated that the
middle and northern part has medium and higher degree of suitability for water harvesting.
Furthermore, in the research area the medium and higher degree of suitability covers
around 64.013% in contrast to 35.987% which is less suitable for water harvesting. Three
potential dams have been identified as highly suitable with storage capacity from the first
to the third 37,359,680.5 m3, 76,273,409.9 m3 and 9,690,685.6 m3 respectively.
Keywords: Water harvesting, Iraq, GIS, multi-criteria, AHP.
Introduction Water harvesting (WH) structures act as

Water scarcity of freshwater has dramatically a barrier to soil erosion, prevent flooding and
increased globally (Shadmehri et al., 2020). It ponds for farming (Hari et al., 2018). Among
is becoming a major threat in several countries, other considerations, local stakeholders prefer
particularly in developing ones (Ibrahim et water harvesting techniques (Campisano et al.,
al., 2019). A possible suitable and sustainable 2017). WH structures act as surface storage and
alternative water resource for many activities can increase ecosystem productivity (Lloyd &
could be harvested rainwater (Ibrahim et al., Dennison, 2018). There are ample advantages
2019). Harvesting could effectively capture of using WH techniques in agriculture (Terêncio
the surface runoff. It is also a system which is et al., 2018). such as reliable water source for
used to collect precipitation around catchment livestock and provides a clean and renewable
periphery rather than release it as runoff (Hari water resource (Sarzaeim et al., 2017).
et al., 2018). Building structures within the The success of a water harvesting system
catchment to harvest income water, and therefore heavily depends on selecting criteria and features
increase water availability, has become widely of sites (Lee et al., 2016). Consequently, the main
used in recent years and has become a success factors chosen for the model of site selection are
and acceptable practice, especially in arid and extremely important and they will be the key to
semi-arid regions (Adham et al., 2018). WH system success (Terêncio et al., 2018; Wu
MULTICRITERIA TO SELECT SITES FOR WATER HARVESTING 219
et al., 2018). The key role for the success of the semi-arid regions has been introduced as an
water harvesting system is choosing optimal alternative approach which participated in an
locations to use later in dry seasons. Appropriate increase of water availability. Understanding the
site selection in large areas is a great challenge nature of the catchment regarding hydrological
(Adham et al., 2018). behaviour is the most important step to plan
Delineation of possible sites for water water harvesting strategy (Campisano et al.,
harvesting by using an integrated model 2017)
of different environmental variables and Generally, Iraq is located in arid to semi-
Geographic Information System (GIS) can arid zones, but it has unstable precipitation
provide very precise, accurate and powerful trends (Ibrahim et al., 2019). Until 1970,
procedure for decision makers (Salman et al., Iraq was classified as a country rich in water
2017; Selamat et al., 2019). Optimal sites for resources because of the Tigris and Euphrates
WH and estimating of runoff in large areas are rivers running through it (Adham et al., 2018).
the greatest challenge (Inamdar et al., 2018). Water scarcity in Iraq became a critical issue
The technique of choosing suitable sites through after years of war lack of water policies and
GIS model is based on two different groups of management. Moreover, a high proportion of its
criteria (Socio-economic and Biophysical). GIS water discharges directly into the Gulf (Alwan
can provide very important reliable and accurate et al., 2020). This one of the most promising
information at large spatial scales to estimate techniques for increasing water availability in
and manage water resources (Sagar & Chauhan, Iraq (Saleh et al., 2018).
2017). GIS has proven to be successful and Little attention has been paid on exploring
is considered to be a robust scientific tool to the reliability of implementing water harvesting
deal with large multi-spatial data (Al-Jarjees, strategies in arid and semi-arid areas on large
2020; Parkinson et al., 2018). It’s also an spatial scales (Campisano et al., 2017). No
attractive, effective tool in selecting suitable research has been done on this scale of criteria,
sites for catchment water harvesting (Varade and on socio-economic criteria. The aim of
et al., 2017). Analytical Hierarchy Process this study is to identify potential sites for water
(AHP) is a technique for multi-criteria analysis. harvesting in northern Al-Tharthar watershed,
Currently, many researchers depend on GIS and through using integrated GIS-based model
AHP in using multi-environmental criteria and and AHP method, including a comprehensive
spatial factors to select optimal zones of water multi biophysical, environmental and socio-
collecting (Alkhatib et al., 2019). Combining economics criteria analysis.
GIS and AHP methods in selecting sites have
shown highly accurare results (Wu et al., 2018).
GIS-based multi-environmental criteria and Materials and Methods
AHP approach for assessing and selecting sites Study Area
of water harvesting have become widely used.
Integrated models can successfully choose the Al-Tharthar valley catchment is one of the
best possible sites for collecting water, on the biggest watersheds in the Nineveh governorate
other hand it can cope with challenges of missing the northwest desert of Iraq (H. Al-Ardeeni,
some data (Haile & Suryabhagavan, 2019). 2018). The catchment includes the Tharthar
lake (depression), which is located between the
Water shortage becomes a serious issue Euphrates and Tigris rivers (Rahi & Halihan,
in arid and semi-arid regions (Alwan et al., 2018). The catchment is in arid and semi-arid
2020). In those regions’ rainfall patterns are zones with hot summers and cold winters (H.
unpredictable in both quantity and frequency, Al-Ardeeni, 2018). The geographic location of
thus measuring and managing produced runoff the study area stretches from 35° 17’ 45.4” to
is very important. Water harvesting in arid and 36° 31’ 7.7” N latitude and from 41° 52’ 20.4” to
Journal of Sustainability Science and Management Volume 16 Number 7, October 2021: 218-236
Raid Mahmood Faisal and Mohammed Abdaki 220
43° 03’ 7.3” E longitude. The catchment covers winter, while rains in spring and autumn are at
an area of 6135.77 km2 as shown in Figure 1. 36% and 15% respectively. The rainy season
The catchment is mostly dry all year, extends from November to April. The main
however, the rainy season triggers short water resource of the catchment is rainfall
concentrated floods (Adham et al., 2018). (Saleh et al., 2018) which is used for irrigation
The mean monthly temperature varies from (Thair et al., 2017) and various agricultural
33.9ºC in summer to 7.8ºC in winter. The activities, mainly cultivation of barley, wheat
annual average rainfall is less than 350 mm. and ranching livestock (Al-Ozeer et al., 2020;
The majority of rainfall, about 49%, occurs in H. Al-Ardeeni, 2018).
Figure 1: Location of the study area (North AL-Tharthar watershed)
Dataset Collection 2020). The study used maps produced by using

Collecting the spatial dataset is an important various datasets as illustrated in Table 1.
step in building a GIS model (Alwan et al.,
Table 1: Dataset sources
# Criteria Source
1 Slope Digital Elevation Models (DEM) with 12.5 m resolution obtain from
2 Elevation Alaska Satellite
3 Stream orders https://asf.alaska.edu/
Iraqi Meteorological Organization & Seismology (coverage 2000 to
4 Annual rainfall 2014). As measured of 6 meteorological stations.
http://www.meteoseism.gov.iq/
The Digital Soil Map of the World, FAO/UNESCO, Version 3.6,
5 Soil texture classes
January 2006 and (Buringh, 1960)
landsat8, LC08_L1TP_170036_20140321, Earth Explore(USGS),
6 Land cover/land use
https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov
Land cover, Soil map and rainfall data were adopted to produce the
7 Runoff depth
runoff depth
Settlement centers and Iraqi ministry of Transportation
8
roads https://www.motrans.gov.iq/
Population rural and
9
agricultural density Directorate of Nineveh Agriculture and Iraqi Central statistical
origination http://cosit.gov.iq/
10 Livestock water demand
Dataset Processing higher storage efficiency with low earthwork

FAO has listed six essential factors for water needs (Walega & Salata, 2019). The slope
harvesting site selection (Inamdar et al., map is shown in Figure 2 (A1) where it has
2018). However, this study integrated seven been classified into six categories according to
biophysical and four socio-economic criteria. Zuidam et al. (1979).
According to literature reviews. socio-economic
criteria enhance the process of optimal site Elevation
selection. Acts as catalyst for sustainable water It’s also a criterion that plays a key role in
management, particularly in agriculture areas selecting potential water harvesting sites.
(Wu et al., 2018). These groups of criteria Elevation has a direct relation with water
have not been considered in studies by H. Al- harvesting because higher elevations are less
Ardeeni, 2018; Ibrahim et al., 2019. The criteria preferable as they will need many earthworks
of the study area have been processed by using (Adham et al., 2016). Elevation variations
ArcGIS 10.5. that are susceptible to floods provide very
important information for more applicable water
Biophysical Criteria harvesting process (Mahmoud & Gan, 2018). A
Slope map is shown in Figure 2 (A2) that classifies
elevations into seven classes.
Slope is the variation between two points within
the catchment divided by a horizontal line Stream Orders
(Tiwari et al., 2018). Slope is a key parameter in
site selection for water harvesting. It has direct The order of streams in the catchment denotes
impacts on runoff generation, surface water the hierarchical links between stream segments
velocity and dams’ locations (Ibrahim et al., (Adham et al., 2018). It allows the classification
2019). Location with slope less than 2% gives of the drainage basin based on their size
Table 2: Soil hydrological group
Soil Group Potential Runoff Soil Texture % in Study Area

A Low runoff Sand, Loamy sand and sandy loam 3.992
B Moderately low runoff Silty loam and loam 51.977
C Moderately high runoff Sand clay loam 44.031
(Ibrahim et al., 2019). Stream order is a critical Land Cover/Land Use

element in the water harvesting process because Land cover use is a key criterion for water-
higher stream orders have lower permeability harvesting processes. It can affect the
and infiltration (Abdulla & Thomas, 2016). The hydrological response of streams in a catchment;
study area has 7th drainage orders as depicted in thus, it will have a sensitive effect on runoff
Figure 2 (A3), with a total length of 11212.84 (Ibrahim et al., 2019). Land cover refers to
km. the vegetation cover in an area. It’s linked
directly to a high proportion of infiltration and
Annual Rainfall low runoff.(Shadmehri et al., 2020). The land
Rainfall is the most influential factor to identify use is considered as a key element in selecting
suitable water harvesting. It’s a prerequisite for and implementing water-harvesting processes
large-scale harvesting infrastructure (Shadmehri (Shanableh et al., 2018). The map of land cover/
et al., 2020). Rainfall is not only the most land use is in Figure 2 (A6).
important parameter in water harvesting
mapping, but also is the base and main source of Runoff Depth
recharge in the catchment (Adham et al., 2018). Runoff is a significant element in identifying
It has a direct and indirect impact on the majority suitable sites for water harvesting (Ibrahim et
of other criteria in planning for water harvesting al., 2019). The runoff estimation the SCS-CN
in arid and semi-arid areas. The map in Figure 2 method (NRCS, 2004). The SCS-CN method
(A4) illustrates the six zones of rainfall. used widely (Tiwari et al., 2018). Hydrological
soil groups (Rana & Suryanarayana, 2020), land
Soil Texture Classes cover / land use and rainfall were used to derive
Soil texture classes refer to the percentage curve numbers to estimate runoff depth in the
of clay, silt and sand in the soil (Rana & study area (Maizi et al., 2020). The potential
Suryanarayana, 2020). It is one of the key runoff depth of the study area was divided into
parameters in designing and assessing reliability nine zones and is shown in Figure 2 (A7) . The
of water-harvesting processes (Shadmehri et high runoff starts in the north and gradually
al., 2020). Soil suitability is a critical criterion lowers to the south.
for water-harvesting site selection ast controls
regular hydrological response (Adham et al., Socio-economic Criteria
2018). Fine and medium soil textures are Settlement Centers and Roads
typically more preferable for water harvesting
because of their higher ability to retain water Proposed sites of water harvesting have to be
(Lee et al., 2016). The study area has three soil reasonably accessible for construction, usage
hydrological groups as depicted in Table 2 and and maintenance. However, they should be some
in Figure 2 (A5). The data of soil texture classes distance from main roads. Very close locations
taken from the FAO and (Buringh, 1960). to main roads might increase the possibility for
Figure 2: (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6 and A7) of biophysical criteria
surface water pollution (Wu et al., 2018). The Moreover, nearby locations will reduce the
study area has two districts, three sub-districts distance of pumping and diversion systems,
and 67 villages, which is shown in Figure 3 thus it would be preferable for stakeholders as
(B1). The area has a total 55.23 km and 219.95 it is cost effective. Distance from agriculture is
km respectively of main and secondary roads. also an important factor for sustainable water-
harvesting and it generally follows the same
Population and Agricultural Density pattern of distance to population density (Wu
et al., 2018). Figures 3 (B2) and (B3) illustrate
The distance from settlements is a key socio-
them.
economic criteria for selecting optimal water-
harvesting sites. Proposed sites close to
residential areas and agriculture activities are Livestock Water Demand
most likely advantageous (Lloyd & Dennison, The Figure 3 (B4) illustrates the livestock water
2018). Stored water is a vital potential source demand. The water demand refers to the water
for agriculture and population settlement. requirements for many purposes including
Figure 3: (B1, B2, B3 and B4) socio-economics criteria
agriculture, domestic use and livestock (Singh et to pair-wise comparison (Ochir et al., 2018).
al., 2017). The study area is mainly agricultural, Super Decision (SD) software 20.8 is used to
mostly barley and wheat, which consumes about assess weighting accuracy (Faisal & Ahmed,
89% of its water. Sheep rearing is also a major 2018). The consistency ratio of our AHP matrix
user. Water demand is estimated based on daily is 0.0123. The criteria weight of the study is
average needs for livestock and crops (Al- acceptable because consistency ratio is less than
Furaiji et al., 2016). 0.1 (Alkhatib et al., 2019; Faisal & Ahmed,
2018; Ochir et al., 2018; Saaty, 2008; Tupenaite
et al., 2017)
Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)
AHP is a statistics tool for multi-criteria decision GIS Model Building
analysis. It is used to weigh different parameters
to prioritize choices among criteria (Saaty, The suitability model developed using ArcGIS
2008). AHP allows researchers to assign weights 10.5 creates a water-harvesting map by merging
of criteria against others (Tupenaite et al., compatibility criteria of both vector and raster
2017). It iss utilized to weigh criteria separately databases using a weighted linear combination
according to their importance even though process. The criteria that were prepared to input
they are tangible or intangible (Shanableh et into the model includes re-classification of
al., 2018). The principle of AHP, according to criteria according to the degree of impact and
Ochir et al. (2018), stands on the concept of relative importance in Table 3 to obtain criteria
“Decomposition, comparative judgment and weight. Then, after converting the formulas of
synthesis of priorities”. The weights are given all parameters from the Vector data to the Raster
from 1-9, where 1 refers to equally important, data weights to each category of these variables
while 9 means that the parameter has much as shown in Table 4 were assigned. The model
more importance than others (Saaty, 2008). The aims to extract the Suitability Degree map
AHP method in this study used to weigh and by using the approach of average weighted,
rate input criteria for selecting suitable water- where it’s prepared by multiplying the variable
harvesting locations. The weight of certain weight obtained through AHP by its rank in
study criteria was based on experts’ opinions, Table 4 as in equation 1. The final output was
discussion with local authorities and literature collected to obtain the pixel validity of the map
review as shown in Table 4. The Table 3 in percentage by using the Algebra expression
demonstrates 14*14 of pairwise comparisons. (Raster Calculator). The highest pixel values are
First, set a hierarchy system of variables (Faisal isolated, which represents the highest degree of
& Ahmed, 2018). Second, is to derive weights validity through using the same tool. Figure 4
from a pairwise comparison of the importance expresses model steps.
between each two relevant parameters. Finally,
the consistency ratio is calculated according
Table 3: AHP matrix and criteria weight
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
AHP Matrix
Consistency Ratio= 0.0123 Stream Criteria
Stream Stream
of Run Land Soil Agriculture Pop Livestock Settlement Weight
of Sixth Slope Rainfall of Fifth Elevation Roads
Seventh off Cover Group Density Density Density Centers
Order Order
Order
Stream of
1 1 1 2 2 2 2 4 5 5 4 5 6 6 7 16.61%
seventh order
2 Runoff 1 1 2 1 1 1 3 4 4 3 4 5 4 6 12.78%
3 Landcover 1/2 1/2 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 6 10.86%
Stream of
4 1/2 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 10.38%
sixth order
5 Slope 1/2 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 5 10.06%
6 Soil group 1/2 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 2 3 3 4 5 9.74%
7 Rainfall 1/4 1/3 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 6.89%
Items: Agriculture
8 1/5 1/4 1/3 1/3 1/3 1/3 1/2 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 4.24%
density
Raid Mahmood Faisal and Mohammed Abdaki
9 Pop density 1/5 1/4 1/3 1/3 1/3 1/3 1/2 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 4.24%
Stream of
10 1/4 1/3 1/3 1/3 1/3 1/2 1/2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3.70%
fifth order
11 Elevation 1/5 1/4 1/4 1/3 1/3 1/3 1/2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3.58%
Livestock
12 1/6 1/5 1/4 1/4 1/3 1/3 1/3 1/2 1/2 1 1 1 1 2 2.83%
density
Settlement
13 1/6 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/3 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1 2 2.48%
centers
14 Roads 1/7 1/6 1/6 1/5 1/5 1/5 1/4 1/3 1/3 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1.59%
226
MULTICRITERIA TO SELECT SITES FOR WATER HARVESTING
D.S = Degree of Suitability, Wi = Criterion weight (AHP outcome), Xi = criteria rank in Table 4.
227
Figure 4: Flow chart of potential WH sites selection model

Table 4: Biophysical and socio-economic criteria, rank, sub-class and AHP weight
Biophysical Criteria
No. Variable Classes Rank AHP
0-1000m 9
1000-2000m 6 16.61%
1 Stream of seventh order
2000-3000m 3
>3000m 1
0-1000m 9
1000-2000m 6 10.38%
2 Stream of sixth order
2000-3000m 3
>3000m 1
0-1000m 9
1000-2000m 6 3.70%
3 Stream of fifth order
2000-3000m 3
>3000m 1
96.2-125 (mm) 1
125-150 (mm) 2
150-175 (mm) 3
175-200 (mm) 4
4 Runoff 200-225 (mm) 5 12.78%
225-250 (mm) 6
250-275 (mm) 7
275-300 (mm) 8
>300 (mm) 9
Urban & settlement Rural 0
land
Gypsum land 2
Mountain or hills 3
Bare exposed rocks 3
5 Land cover/land use 10.86%
Exposed land 6
Grassland 8
Agriculture land 8
Water or wet land 8
Crops land 9
A 3
6 Soil group B 6 9.74%
C 9
172.4-200 (mm) 2
200-225 (mm) 3
225-250 (mm) 5 6.89%
7 Rainfall
250-275 (mm) 7
275-300 (mm) 8
>300 (mm) 9
Biophysical Criteria

0% - 2% Flat 7
2% - 7% Gently sloping 9
7% - 12% Sloping 7 10.06%
8 Slope
12% - 18% Mod. steep 5
18% - 24% Steep 3
>24% Very steep 1
122-200 m 9
200-350 m 8
350-500 m 6
3.58%
9 Elevation 500-650 m 4
650-800 m 2
800-1000 m 1
1000-1387 m 0
Socio-economic Criteria

0-1000 m 0
1000-2000 m 9
Settlement centers 2.48%
1 2000-3000 m 7
3000-4000 m 5
>4000 m 3
0-17.5 2
17.5-35 4
4.24%
2 Agriculture density 35-52.5 6
52.5-70 8
>70 9
0-5 2
5-10 2
10-15 4
4.24%
3 Population density 15-20 4
20-30 6
30-40 8
>40 9
264-500 3
Livestock water 500-750 5 2.83%
4
demand (mm3/year) 750-1000 7
>1000 9
0-150 m 0
150-1000 m 9 1.59%
5 Roads
1000-2000 m 7
>2000 m 5
Results and Discussion the north and middle of the study area are much
Potential Water-Harvesting Sites more suitable for water harvesting compared
to the south. The outcomes show that medium
The map in Figure 5 shows the results of the suitability has the largest percentage at 37.77%
suitability degree for water harvesting and (2315.72 km2) followed by low suitability at
location of potential dams. It was developed 29.10% (1784 km2) and then high suitability
by integrating multi-criteria evaluation by GIS at 24.895% (1525.9 km2). However, very low
based on an AHP statistical method, taking into suitability and very high suitability covers
account 14 layers, in order to yield the final 6.881% (421.80 km2) and 1.339% (82.06 km2)
map of optimal water harvesting suitability. respectively. As illustrated in Figure 6, around
Five comparable classes are used to indicate 63% of the study area is suitable for water
the degree of suitability for potential water- harvesting. In addition, the three dams were
harvesting sites: very high suitability, high located in high suitability areas. Table 5 shows
suitability, medium suitability, low suitability the coordinates for them.
and very low suitability. Figure 5 indicates that
Figure 5: Degree of suitability and potential suitable sites for water harvesting
Table 5: Storage capacity and coordinates of proposed dams
Dam Storage Capacity (m3) Latitude Longitude

1 37,359,680.5 35° 39’ 5.8196” N 42° 42’ 26.8565” E
2 76,273,409.9 35° 47’ 20.5545” N 42° 42’ 13.8538” E
3 9,690,685.6 35° 45’ 45.4550” N 42° 45’ 31.4739” E
Figure 6: Percentage of water harvesting suitability in the research area
Proposed Sites for Dams cross-section profile of the proposed dam sites
Dams are the most common and appropriate in the study area. The TIN and polygon volume
structure for water harvesting (Adham et al., tools are used to calculate volume and height
2018). The Triangulated Irregular Network of dams with contour interval 2m. The storage
(TIN), drainage layer and contour lines functions capacity and profile of the three potential dams
of the ArcScene program are used to get a are shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7: Proposed dams’ details, elevation, cross section and storage capacity in the study area
The results of the model and AHP analysis selection of harvesting sites. It reflects the
indicate that the study area is suitable for permeability and infiltration of water. However,
building water harvesting structures. From the higher stream order is directly proportional to
central to northern region, a medium degree of the high runoff supply of potential storage sites.
suitability is found. The suggested sites have The three dams are located on 7th order streams,
gentle slopes, which are crucial elements in so they have continuous water flow.
water-harvesting structures as they enhance All proposed sites are very close to intense
collection of runoffs. Ibrahim et al. (2019) agriculture activities, and will serve agricultural
suggested that slopes steeper than 7% are demand for water, including livestock. The sites
unsuitable due to irregular and rough runoff are near, but not too close to main and secondary
flow. They also require more earthworks. The roads, as the distance (0-150m) is restricted (Wu
potential sites are in zones receiving enough et al., 2018). They are also near the villages,
annual rainfall to trigger reasonable amounts so that not many earthworks are needed. These
of runoff. Stream order is a key element in the structures in inhabited croplands are more
practical than relocating them to potential Acknowledgements

harvesting sites. The results of this study agree The authors are very grateful to the College
with previous studies on water harvesting site of Environmental Sciences and Technology -
selection (Adham et al., 2018; Alwan et al., University of Mosul for their facilities, which
2020; H. Al-Ardeeni, 2018; Ibrahim et al., 2019; helped to improve the quality of this work.
Salman et al., 2017; Walega & Salata, 2019).
These locations for water harvesting can fulfil
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Journal of Sustainability Science and Management eISSN: 2672-7226

Volume 16 Number 7, October 2021: 218-236 © Penerbit UMT

MULTI-CRITERIA ANALYSIS FOR SELECTING SUITABLE SITES OF WATER

RAID MAHMOOD FAISAL1* AND MOHAMMED ABDAKI2

*Corresponding author: raidalfaisal@uomosul.edu.iq

Abstract: Water scarcity in Iraq is becoming a critical issue as demand increases,

Keywords: Water harvesting, Iraq, GIS, multi-criteria, AHP.

Introduction Water harvesting (WH) structures act as

Figure 1: Location of the study area (North AL-Tharthar watershed)

Dataset Collection 2020). The study used maps produced by using

Table 1: Dataset sources

Dataset Processing higher storage efficiency with low earthwork

Table 2: Soil hydrological group

Soil Group Potential Runoff Soil Texture % in Study Area

(Ibrahim et al., 2019). Stream order is a critical Land Cover/Land Use

Figure 3: (B1, B2, B3 and B4) socio-economics criteria

Figure 4: Flow chart of potential WH sites selection model

No. Variable Classes Rank AHP

No. Variable Classes Rank AHP

Table 5: Storage capacity and coordinates of proposed dams

Dam Storage Capacity (m3) Latitude Longitude

Figure 6: Percentage of water harvesting suitability in the research area

practical than relocating them to potential Acknowledgements

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