Integration of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems for Mapping Water Harvesting Sites in the Shwan Sub-Basin, Kirkuk, NE Iraq

In sustainable water management, rainwater harvesting is one of the freshwater storage practices, where the freshwater is the most important resource for mankind life continuation. The groundwater in the Shwan sub-basin is currently under significant pressure due to domestic and irrigation consumption. The study of water harvesting is important for the region as it has a direct impact on water sustainability and to compensate groundwater shortage. This work contributes to the adoption of a modern, applied, and comprehensive study to map water harvesting using scientific criteria to enhance water sustainability. The work is done by including eight scientific criteria (Rainfall, Slope, Drainage Density, Soil, Land Use, Land Covers, Runoff, Elevations, and Geology) using the remote sensing and geographic information system software, by considering the weights and ranks for each criteria in the Analytical Hierarchy Process. The results showed that the best sites for water harvesting are in the northeastern, northern, and northwestern parts of the Shwan sub-basin. It was categorized that 37.8 km2 (4.9%), 106.3 km2 (13.9%), 223.6 km2 (29.3%), 246.6 km2 (32.2%), and 150.7 km2 (19.7%) of the Shwan sub-basin had very low, low, moderate, high, and very high suitability for water harvesting sites, respectively. The results of this work can help the water management officials and stakeholders to make the right decision to adopt the sound model for water harvesting in the Shwan sub-basin