First Project :

Realized by:
LAHYA ZINEB
Master Geographic Information System and Territory Management
Subject:

Favorable Location of Wastewater

Treatment Plants
A case study: MEKNES city, Morocco

Supervised by: Pr. Hassan RHINANE

Academic year: 2021/2023

 Abstract
The domestic wastewater of the city of MEKNES is rejected in the environment precisely in
the oud Boufkran without any treatment. They constitute a negative impact on the
environment and can cause disease in both consumers in farmworkers. Solving this problem
requires the establishment of a wastewater treatment plant wastewater to their safe reuse in
agriculture.
Spatially-referenced and up-to-date information system are one of the most useful tools for
effective wastewater treatment plant, management and environmental protection. Therefore, it
is necessary to have a system that provides facilities through geo-spatial relationships.
For this purpose, several variables, such as topography, land use, type of geological
formation, distance to major rivers or lakes, distance to existing cities and villages, existence
of environmentally protected areas and required wastewater effluent characteristics were
analyzed with the GIS, in order to accept or reject a particular area within a region. This
study-plan solve the issues and undertaken logics of GIS to identify the critical socio-
economic and environmental factors, and find the location of the wastewater treatment plant.

Keywords: GIS, wastewater treatment plant, Meknes, location

I
Table of contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
Chapter 1: General Presentation of The Study Area .................................................................. 2
I. Geographic Situation: ..................................................................................................... 3
II. Monography of Meknes: ................................................................................................ 3
1. Population and Demography: .................................................................................. 4
III. Geological context: ...................................................................................................... 4
IV. Hydrological context: .................................................................................................. 5
V. Climatic context: ............................................................................................................ 6
1. Temperatures: .......................................................................................................... 6
2. Precipitation ............................................................................................................. 6
Chapter 2: Tools and Methodology for Work ............................................................................ 7
I. Presentation of tools work : ............................................................................................ 8
1. Geographic Information Systems : .......................................................................... 8
2. Remote sensing ........................................................................................................ 8
3. Data and documents used : ...................................................................................... 8
4. The software used : .................................................................................................. 8
II. Methodology : ............................................................................................................... 8
1. The criteria: .............................................................................................................. 9
2. Preprocessing: ........................................................................................................ 10
a. Reclassification of DEM : .................................................................................. 10
b. Satellite Images treatment : ................................................................................ 11
c. Classification : .................................................................................................... 12
3. Analysis : ............................................................................................................... 18
a. Buffring Junction point : .................................................................................... 18
b. Intersection: ........................................................................................................ 19
c. Difference ........................................................................................................... 20
Chapter 3: Presentation of the Results and Discussion ............................................................ 22
I. Presentation of The Results : ........................................................................................ 23
1. The city overview map: ......................................................................................... 23
2. The highly suitable parcels map: ........................................................................... 24
3. The alternative site map: ........................................................................................ 25
4. Final map: .............................................................................................................. 26
II. Discussion : .................................................................................................................. 27

II
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 28
Webography ............................................................................................................................. 29
Field visit: ................................................................................................................................. 30

III
List of figures
Figure 1:Study area map ............................................................................................................ 3
Figure 2:Structure of the legal population (in %) by place of residence.................................... 4
Figure 3:Geology of the study area ............................................................................................ 4
Figure 4:Hydrographic network ................................................................................................. 5
Figure 5:Temperatures and precipitations in Meknes station .................................................... 6
Figure 6:Interannual precipitation evolution. ............................................................................. 6
Figure 7:reclassification of DEM ............................................................................................. 10
Figure 8:lowland ...................................................................................................................... 11
Figure 9: Results of the image satelite treatment ..................................................................... 12
Figure 10:Different rgb composite ........................................................................................... 13
Figure 11:the land use of the province of Meknes ................................................................... 14
Figure 12:the vectors data ........................................................................................................ 15
Figure 13:flood zone ................................................................................................................ 16
Figure 14:the analyze methodologie ........................................................................................ 17
Figure 15:Step1 ........................................................................................................................ 18
Figure 16: Step2 ....................................................................................................................... 19
Figure 17:Intersection result..................................................................................................... 20
Figure 18:Step3 ........................................................................................................................ 20
Figure 19:result of Difference .................................................................................................. 21
Figure 20:The City Overview .................................................................................................. 23
Figure 21:The Highly Suitable Parcels .................................................................................... 24
Figure 22:Figure 26: The Alternate Site of the WWS ............................................................. 25
Figure 23:The Final Result ....................................................................................................... 26
Figure 24:Junctionpoint............................................................................................................ 30
Figure 25:the study Area .......................................................................................................... 31
Figure 26:the study area 2 ........................................................................................................ 32

IV
 Introduction
In recent years, water resource management and protection have been integrated into society
The challenge is not only one of the biggest environmental problems in the world, but also
Drivers of sustainable economic and social growth. Safe water supply, sanitation measures
Sanitation and good water management are essential to improve health,
Provide economic benefits and contribute to social development. Over the past few decades,
Community, State, and Local Regulations on Proper Water Use and Pollution Preventive
measures have been introduced. Morocco steps up wastewater treatment ability. In fact, due to
changes in regulations, more and more sewage treatment plants must be built. The construction
of sewage treatment plants always precedes project research In this case, the management of
water and sewer networks can be achieved through An integrated GIS based on georeferenced
data about an area of interest. In the literature, several definitions of GIS have been provided.
As we all know, GIS is a computerized system designed to support territorial and environmental
management Solve problems through analysis of georeferenced data. In a GIS project,
geographic data is Organized into layers of information or topic levels, linked to saved
alphanumeric attributes in a relational database. GIS represents a very useful tool to support
Environmental monitoring, assessment, and management.
Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to find the vantage point of the wastewater. Study
the processing system of the area by combining GIS with local relevant factors. Choose Criteria
are based on technical, environmental, and economic factors and topography.

1
 Chapter 1: General
Presentation of The Study
Area

2
I.Geographic Situation:
The study area is located in the Saïss basin and particularly in the plateau of Meknes, at the
coordinates Lambert (X: 483600 and Y: 370000) The city of MEKNES is located in the
northwest of MOROCCO, 140 km east of the administrative capital RABAT and 60 km west
of the spiritual capital FES. It is located between the Middle Atlas (mountainous chain of
Morocco) in the South and the pre-Rif hills in the North (Rif: mountainous chain in the North
of Morocco). The said plateau covers an area of 4560 square kilometers. The altitude of the city
of MEKNES is about 500 meters. (fig.1)

Figure 1:Study area map

II.Monography of Meknes:
The prefecture of Meknes is part, according to the latest administrative division of 2015, of
the region Fez-Meknes alongside the Prefecture of Fez and the provinces of Ifrane, Elhajeb,
Sefrou, Moulay Yacoub, Boulemane, Taounate and Taza, it covers an area of 1786Km. it
includes, since 2003, the former prefectures of Meknes-El Menzeh and Al Ismailia.
Its administrative boundaries are as follows:
• The Province of Sidi Kacem in the North.
• The Province of Moulay Yacoub in the North East.
• The Province of Elhajeb in the South and in the South East.
• The Province of Khémisset in the West.
• The Province of Sidi Slimane in the North West.

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 1. Population and Demography:
The city recorded a population of 632,079 in 2014. According to the general census of
population and housing 2014, the share of the urban population of the prefecture of Meknes
(82.3%) far exceeds the rural (17.7%). The same trend is observed at the regional and national
levels with respectively (60.5% vs 39.5%) and (60.4% vs 39.6%) against and 39.6%).

Figure 2:Structure of the legal population (in %) by place of residence

III.Geological context:
With the exception of a few small areas constituted by quaternary formations. The geology of
the plateau of Meknes is characterized by outcrops of the Pliocene and Miocene generally
consisting of limestone resting on sandy formations distributed in places over large areas. The
Saïs basin presents a vast tertiary sedimentary structure, seat of the Miocene deposits. This set
constituted, in the Pliocene, the bottom of the lake basin which is more or less masked by the
quaternary formations (silts, alluvium and clays of decalcification). The substratum of the
basin is varied. It is most often constituted by limestones and dolomites of the Lower Jurassic
overlying red clay formations and basalts of the Triassic as well as shales and flysch of the
Paleozoic.(fig.3)

Figure 3:Geology of the study area

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IV.Hydrological context:
It is about three emergencies of the overflow of the free water table of Lias. The Ain Boujaoui

and Ain Maarouf springs are located 20 km south of the city of Meknes on the foothills of the

Agourai Causse. They constitute the main contributions of the oued Boufekrane. The 3rd source

Ain Aghbal is located in the foothills of El Hajeb, about 20 km SE of the city of Meknes. Three

oueds cross the city of Meknes following an orientation SE /NO and are part of the watershed

of Oued R'dom, a tributary of Oued Sebou. we find successively

Oueds: Boufekrane, Ouisslane, and Chajara.

Figure 4:Hydrographic network

5
V.Climatic context:
The climate is semi-continental of the Mediterranean type: its winters are cool and rainy and
summers hot and dry.
1. Temperatures:

Figure 5:Temperatures and precipitations in Meknes station

2. Precipitation
The most important rainy period is from October to May, with 9 to 10 days of rain per month.
That is to say, an average rainfall that is estimated at 84 days and an average rainfall that
reaches 500 mm/year. The distribution of rainfall during the year is characterized by heavy
rainfall in autumn, a slight decrease in winter with a relative maximum at the beginning of
spring

Figure 6:Interannual precipitation evolution.

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Chapter 2: Tools and
Methodology for Work

7
I.Presentation of tools work :
1. Geographic Information Systems :
A geographic information system (GIS) is a system that creates, manages, analyzes, and maps
all types of data. GIS connects data to a map, integrating location data with all types of
descriptive information.
2. Remote sensing
Remote sensing is the process of detecting and monitoring the physical characteristics of an
area by measuring its reflected and emitted radiation at a distance (typically from satellite or
aircraft). Special cameras collect remotely sensed images, which help researchers "sense"
things about the Earth
3. Data and documents used :
- Topographique map of MEKNES city (scal 1/50000)
- Geological map of MEKNES city (1/50 000)
- Digital Elevation Model
- Satellite image of MEKNES (landsat 8 oli 2021-03-11)
4. The software used :
- Qgis
- ARCgis
- Envi
II.Methodology :

8
 1. The criteria:
Criteria are very important in this project, and in this section, different criteria is going to be
determined for a suitable site.
The parcels chosen for the site must be:
• Elevation: the altitude of study area is between 272m - 630m, the plant should
not be too high to extract the sewage from the city
• Existing buildings: the sewage treatment plant should get far away from the
urban area, the general buffer for the urban area is about 150m.
This distance could keep the smell away from people.
• Vegetation: the sewage treatment plant should locate away from agricultural
area and forest area about 150m, in order to protect the crops from the pollution.
• Water body: the sewage treatment plant should locate within 1,000 meters of
the river, to minimize pipeline construction for treated water that is discharged
• Flood zone: the sewage treatment plant should be outside the floodplain,
to avoid spillage during storms.
Junction point: the sewage treatment plant should be within 1,000 meters of the
main wastewater junction
• Roads: the sewage treatment plant should get a far away from roads for
safety and pollution reasons, the general buffer for roads is about 50m.
This distance could keep the smell and pollution away from people driving or
walking along the street.
• Power: the sewage treatment plant should be near from the power for
machines in purpose construction and digging, the general buffer for power is
about 50m.
• Surface: The plant requires a total of at least 150,000 square meters in
area.

9
 2. Preprocessing:
After collecting data we move into the preprocessing
a. Reclassification of DEM :
Reclassification is the process of reassigning a value, a range of values, or a list of values in a
raster to new output values.In order to extract the lowland
I managed to extract the low attitude area located on the study area, which is one of the project

Figure 7:reclassification of DEM

10
Required conditions and which is between 200 and 360meters, the I created a shapefile for the result

Figure 8:lowland

b. Satellite Images treatment :

➢ Satellite Images treatment :
To build a new multi-band file from georeferenced images of various pixel sizes
➢ dark subtraction
to remove the effects of atmospheric scattering from an image by subtracting a pixel value
➢ Radiometric calibration
to correct for atmospheric effects
➢ Quick Atmospheric Correction
➢ Pan Sharpening
To sharpen multispectral data using high spatial resolution data

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Classification

Before After
Figure 9: Results of the image satelite treatment

c. Classification :
Two major categories of image classification techniques include unsupervised (calculated by
software) and supervised (human-guided) classification.in this study I had used the supervised
classification; The goal of supervised classification is to assign a new object to a class from a
given set of classes based on the attribute values of this object and on a training set.
For this I had used :
Satellite: Landsat 8
SENSOR_ID = "OLI_TIRS"
Date of acquisition of the image: 2021-03-11
Resolution: 15m.
Bands: 11

12
The Different rgb composite used :

Figure 10:Different rgb composite

Natural Color (4, 3. 2): The natural color composite uses a band combination of red (4),
green (3) and blue (2). It replicates close to what our human eye see. While healthy vegetation
is green, unhealthy flora is brown. Urban features appear white and grey and water is dark blue
or black.
Color Infrared (5, 4, 3): This band combination is also called the near infrared (NIR) composite.
It uses near-infrared (5), red (4) and green (3). Because chlorophyll reflects near infrared light,
this band composition is useful for analyzing vegetation. In particular, areas in red have better
vegetation health.
Short-Wave Infrared (7,6 4): The short-wave infrared band combination uses SWIR-2 (7),
SWIR-1 (6) and red (4). These composite displays vegetation in shades of green. While darker
shades of green indicate denser vegetation, sparse vegetation have lighter shades. Urban areas
are blue and soils have various shades of brown.

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 Figure 11:the land use of the province of Meknes

d. Georeferencing of the maps :

Georeferencing means that the internal coordinate system of a digital map or aerial photo can
be related to a ground system of geographic coordinates. A georeferenced digital map or image
has been tied to a known Earth coordinate system, so users can determine where every point on
the map or aerial photo is located on the Earth's surface.
The projection system used in this study: PROJCR "Merchich / Nord Maroc".
e. Extracting information from OpenStreetMap:
Is a free, editable map of the whole world that is being built by volunteers largely from scratch
and released with an open-content license. The OpenStreetMap License allows free access to
our map images and all of our underlying map data. The project aims to promote new and
interesting uses of this data. We use OpenStreetMap in this project to extract the data that we
need to analyze and perform the work, in QGIS there is an option to extract the information,
we use the option called QuickOSM.

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With this option we can extract a lot of information in shapefile format:
✓ Roads
✓ Vegetation
✓ Waterways
✓ Streets
✓ Power

Figure 12:the vectors data

f. Extracting the flood zone :
The area likely to be flooded was determinate using the “buffer” tool. We choose buffer with
50m to make a polygon to the flood zone.

15
Figure 13:flood zone

16
Figure 14:the analyze methodologie

17
 3. Analysis :
The analysis is very important step in a GIS project, it consists of making maps to the creation
of complex spatial models, with GIS tools, we can perform analyses which are extremely long
and impossible to perform manually.
- The purpose of this step is to interpret different elements of study area.
a. Buffring Junction point :
Buffering usually creates two areas: one area that is within a specified distance to selected real
world features and the other area that is beyond.
Location of the site at less than 1000 m from the junction point and a minimum distance of
500 m away from it.
This task aims to delimit zone located at 500 and 1000 meters from the junction point .

Figure 15:Step1

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b. Intersection:
Extracts the portions of features from the input layer that overlap features in the overlay layer.
Features in the intersection layer are assigned the attributes of the overlapping features from
both the input and overlay layers.
In order to have the favorable zones we will apply an intersect :
In order to determine the favourable areas for the installation of the wastewater station, I
created an intersection between the Lowland layer ,the vacent land and the buffer of the river
meters buffer of the junction point.

Figure 16: Step2

19
 Figure 17:Intersection result

c. Difference
Extracts features from the input layer that don’t fall within the boundaries of the overlay
layer.

Figure 18:Step3

20
Figure 19:result of Difference

21
Chapter 3: Presentation of
the Results and Discussion

22
I.Presentation of The Results :
1. The city overview map:
-This map shows the general view of the study areas to draw the reader’s attention, then
extent the study area

Figure 20:The City Overview

- The data on this map contains the following layers:
- Street
- River
- DEM

23
 2. The highly suitable parcels map:
- This map shows the parcels that have satisfied all the criteria given by the sewage plant
construction which are:

Figure 21:The Highly Suitable Parcels

- Inside favourable area.

- Proximity to junction point. (Inside a low river)

24
 3. The alternative site map:
This map shows the most and the less favourable parcel

Figure 22:Figure 26: The Alternate Site of the WWS

25
 4. Final map:
After having prepared the tree cards, we will assemble them into a single card; then we obtain
the final result

Figure 23:The Final Result

26
II.Discussion :
The mapping of areas suitable for the establishment of the WWTP in the city of meknes 'is

by using the tools of the software ArcGis and Qgis. The principle of realization of thematic

maps of the different criteria of choice being based on spatial analysis. The maps produced

represent spatial variations. The functions of the geoprocessing tools allow the mapping of

favorable and unfavorable zones for each criterion involved in the choice of the location of the

WWTP. The results obtained make it possible to distinguish five favorable zones for the

implementation of the future WWTP of the city of meknes. The tool "Geometric Calculator"

determines the surface area of different sites and the "Near" function of ArcToolbox calculates

the distances between the centroids of the areas and the existing infrastructures in the study

area.

27
 Conclusion
Water utilities particularly in the developing countries continues to operate with
considerable inefficiencies in terms of water and revenue losses, with increasing water
demand and scarcity, utilities require effective strategies for optimum use of available
water resources.
This study present an integrated strategic planning framework for water management
with emphasis on structuring the decision problem, including careful selection of
criteria and decision options with respect to environmental, social and economic
dimensions.
Decision makers would be able to achieve better results concerning the most suitable
locations for wastewater treatment plant easily and reduces the possibility of error by
using GIS.
This study demonstrated how decision theory coupled with operational research and
techniques could be applied in practice to solve complex water management and
planning problems.

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 Webography
http://www.abhsebou.ma/presentation-du-bassin/eaux-de-surface/
https://www.hcp.ma/
https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/publication/547873
https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-desktop/overview

29
 Field visit:

Figure 24:Junctionpoint

30
Figure 25:the study Area

31
Figure 26:the study area 2

32