Planning rainwater conservation measures using geospatial and multi-criteria decision making tools
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Planning rainwater conservation measures using geospatial and multi-criteria decision making tools Laishram Kanta Singh 1
&
Madan Kumar Jha 1 & V. M. Chowdary 2
Received: 11 October 2019 / Accepted: 20 July 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The assessment of rainwater-harvesting demand (RWHD) map and the identification of appropriate priority-based locations for rainwater-harvesting (RWH) and groundwater recharge structures are very crucial for the water managers, particularly in irrigation commands. This study addresses this challenge by using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) and geospatial techniques to present a novel and robust approach for generating RWHD map and identifying sites/zones for distinct RWH and groundwater recharge on a priority basis. Primary thematic layers such as existing irrigation water supply, irrigation demand, and groundwater potential were considered in this study for delineating RWHD zones. Further, sites suitable for RWH and groundwater recharge were identified using soil, slope, drainage network, and lineament thematic layers of the study area and they were prioritized. Four zones of rainwater demand were identified for the prioritization of RWH and groundwater structures: (a) “low” rainwater-harvesting demand zone (covering 3% of the total study area), (b) “moderate” rainwater-harvesting demand zone (40%), (c) “high” rainwater-harvesting demand zone (42%), and (d) “very high” rainwater-harvesting demand zone (15%). Moreover, 46 sites for check dams and 145 suitable sites for percolation tanks were identified, together with 253 ha area for groundwater recharge based on the priority of rainwater-harvesting demand. Integration of geospatial and MCDM techniques in conjunction with suitable thematic layers provides a helpful and realistic tool for large-scale planning and management of rainwater conservation measures. Keywords Rainwater conservation . Geospatial techniques . Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) . Boolean logic . Site prioritization
Introduction Individual awareness on the water resources, variations in the water consumption rates, and per capita availability rates coupled with lifestyle changes are some of the key issues in water resources management (WWAP 2009). Increased Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues * Laishram Kanta Singh [email protected] Madan Kumar Jha [email protected] V. M. Chowdary [email protected] 1
AgFE Department, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
2
Regional Remote Sensing Centre-North, NRSC, Delhi 110049, India
global population growth rate, particularly in developing nations (UNFPA 2008) affected the per capita water availability, which poses a serious challenge for water resources management. Currently, approximately 3.6 billion population live in water scarcity regions (about one half of the worldwide population), which is further projected to rise to 4.8–5.7 billion by the year 2050 (WWAP 2018). Further, wet are
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