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Identification of rainwater harvesting sites using the analytic hierarchy process and GIS in the Khemisset semi-arid region, Morocco
 
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1
Geosciences Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra. Morocco
 
2
Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, Rabat, Morocco
 
3
Laboratory of Environment, Societies and Territories, Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco
 
 
Corresponding author
MOHAMED SADIKI   

Geosciences Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra. Morocco
 
 
 
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ABSTRACT
The dynamics of water scarcity constitute a fundamental problem that is being aggravated by climate change, especially in arid areas. The application of rainwater harvesting (RWH) in combination with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) facilitates the determination of areas where rainwater harvesting can be realistically adopted. This new approach enables the effective and precise delineation of zones most appropriate for the installation of rainwater harvesting systems. This research suggests an approach that involves an analytic hierarchy process with geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) methods for identifying potential sites for Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) according to various socio-economic criteria. The research was carried out in the Khemisset province in the western part of Morocco. A comprehensive potential Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) map was created considering 11 significant parameters like land use and land cover, soil texture, slope, elevation, drainage density, Geology, rainfall, stream order, distance to faults, distance to roads, and distance to residential areas. All these parameters were assigned some weights in ArcGIS 10.8 software. This process enabled the incorporation of all the thematic maps and resulted in a combined Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) map for the given study area. The research findings indicated that around 48% of the entire study area was found to be moderately suitable for Rainwater Harvesting (RWH). The validation of the RWH map by checking it against existing dams confirmed that the used methodology had a high capability to identify appropriate locations for RWH.
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