Planning rainwater conservation measures using geospatial and multi-criteria decision making tools.

Area of Science:

• Hydrology
• Water Resource Management
• Geospatial Analysis

Background:

• Effective water management is critical, especially in irrigation command areas.
• Assessing rainwater-harvesting demand (RWHD) and identifying suitable sites for rainwater harvesting (RWH) and groundwater recharge structures are vital for water managers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust approach for generating RWHD maps.
• To identify and prioritize locations for RWH and groundwater recharge structures using integrated geospatial and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) and geospatial techniques.
• Incorporated thematic layers including irrigation water supply, irrigation demand, groundwater potential, soil, slope, drainage network, and lineaments.
• Delineated RWHD zones and identified priority sites for check dams, percolation tanks, and groundwater recharge areas.

Main Results:

• Identified four RWHD zones: low (3%), moderate (40%), high (42%), and very high (15%).
• Pinpointed 46 sites for check dams, 145 for percolation tanks, and designated 253 ha for groundwater recharge.
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of integrating geospatial and MCDM for large-scale water conservation planning.

Conclusions:

• The developed approach provides a realistic tool for water managers to plan and manage rainwater conservation effectively.
• Prioritization of RWH and groundwater recharge structures based on RWHD is crucial for sustainable water resource management.
• The study highlights the importance of geospatial and MCDM techniques in addressing water scarcity challenges.