Abstract
Abstract Water management has become one of the major interests in arid and semi-arid regions. Scientists have suggested different criteria and methodologies for the identification of suitable dam sites. According to our literature review, we have used two major methodologies for the selection of suitable dam site location: geographic information system and remote sensing (GIS/RS) and multicriteria analysis (MCA) integrated with GIS/RS. The most common criteria used for the selection of suitable dam sites were slope, rainfall, land use land cover, soil type, lithology, lineament density, and hydrographic typology. All the factors were superimposed to prepare the synthesis map of water-harvesting structures, each thematic layer’s weight was determined, and storage water potential indices were calculated using water accumulation conditions. According to the water-harvesting location map, where the spatial distribution of the excellent (5%), very good (9%), and good (17%) aptitude classes is established in the northeast and central parts of the westward zone, the average located in the center of the zone. Study and weak are located south of the map; the area of moderate (25%) to poor (44%) suitability is situated in the south and southwest zone. The MCA was validated using an existing dam across the study area, where the MCA provides for the dam located in the good and moderate zones. The approach adopted in this study can be applied for any other location globally to identify potential dam-construction sites. From the point of view of the literature of multicriteria analyses of water recovery, areas unsuitable for surface water harvesting and dam projects are suitable for groundwater recharge.
Highlights
Surface water is generally limited in arid and semi-arid regions due to low rainfall and high evaporation ruling over such regions [1]
According to the surface water potential locations map, the results show that the spatial distribution of the excellent (5%), very good (9%), and good (17%) aptitude classes is established in the northeast and central parts of the westward zone, and the average is located in the center of the zone
The hydrological context of Morocco is mostly influenced by an annual irregularity and a very marked interannual variability in the rainfall characterized by a heterogeneous distribution
Summary
Surface water is generally limited in arid and semi-arid regions due to low rainfall and high evaporation ruling over such regions [1]. Climate-related hazards have resulted in decreasing surface water supplies These activities have led to an increase in research, with regard to surface water resources and with an emphasis on locating surface water of good quality for human consumption [1,4]. In Morocco, the period of drought at the beginning of the 1980s, considered the longest ever observed, was the starting point for a policy of building small dams and hill lakes using a highly labor-intensive practice These dams are designed mainly for irrigation, livestock watering, and protection against floods or for the supply of drinking water in rural areas that have no groundwater resources
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