Runoff Management based Water Harvesting for Better Water Resources Sustainability: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

The exacerbation of drought conditions has significantly enhanced water scarcity, notably impacting arid and semi-arid regions globally. Consequently, effective runoff management has emerged as a critical and formidable challenge. This comprehensive review addresses the critical challenge of runoff management for water resources sustainability, specifically through the lens of dam site selection employing MCA. A systematic investigation into the origins and methodologies of runoff management highlights the prevalent application of MCA models, with an in-depth literature review providing insights into various approaches, their advantages, limitations, and suitability for specific contexts. Through an extensive literature review, 63 criteria affecting dam site suitability were identified and analyzed, with slope, land use/land cover, and soil type identified as the most significant factors. The findings revealed an exponential increase in the application of MCA for dam site selection over the past two decades, emphasizing its growing importance in the field. Further, the review highlights the varied outcomes of dam site evaluations due to differing expert opinions on criteria weightings, pointing to the necessity for a unified approach to criteria weighting. It is recommended that future research focus on harmonizing these weights and incorporate high-resolution observational data to enhance the accuracy of dam site suitability assessments. Moreover, the integration of climate adaptability into runoff management models is suggested to ensure long-term water resource sustainability. This comprehensive review not only outlines the current state and challenges in runoff management and dam site selection but also proposes a direction for future research aimed at resolving these critical issues.