Locating the ideal locations for small surface dams in Swaida using remote sensing techniques and the support systems

Abstract

In light of the climatic changes that the world is witnessing, the problem of water shortage has begun to appear and increase, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, so it has become necessary to provide additional methods of securing water, whether for drinking, agriculture or other life requirements. One of the most effective methods to provide water from free sources in a simple form is the rainwater harvesting operations. This study came as an attempt to determine the ideal locations for small surface dams in Swaida Governorate as one of the methods of water harvesting in order to benefit from it in irrigation of crops, considering that determining the appropriate location is the basis for the success of these dams. The study was conducted relying on remote sensing techniques and related systems, where a set of criteria related to soil, topography, land cover, geology, watershed characteristics and precipitation were applied to the natural collection sites (Sink). A comparison between these sites was then made using the AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process Priority Calculator program) to find the best sites. This study identified 59 surface dam sites, distributed in four preference categories, occupying 9 first preference sites. The study also provided detailed data for each site, including the area of the watershed, the runoff, the volume of storage, and the area of agricultural land benefiting from the water collected, which constitutes an important database that can be used when implementing these sites.