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Site Selections for Hill Dams in Oued Cherrat Watershed, NW Morocco: Weighted Overlay Approach
Corresponding Author(s) : Mohamed Sadiki
Geomatics and Environmental Engineering,
Vol. 19 No. 2 (2025): Geomatics and Environmental Engineering
Abstract
The identifications of suitable locations for hill dam construction are confronted with various challenges, including environmental, technical, social, economic, and regulatory factors; these necessitate meticulous planning and management. This study employed geographic information systems (GIS) to identify and forecast potential sites within the Oued Cherrat watershed in northwest Morocco. A suitability map was developed by integrating multiple data sets, such as digital elevation models (DEMs), lithology, drainage density, and lineament density. By utilizing a weighted overlay analysis, the study area was categorized into segments with varying suitability levels for hill dam installation (ranging from unsuitable to very high potential). Covering an area of 39 km², the results indicated that 8% of the total area possessed very high potential. The findings were validated through field surveys that were conducted both prior to and following the study; these confirmed the high-potential areas that were identified by the model, thereby enhancing the reliability of the suitability map for future hill dam planning and flood-risk-mitigation strategies.
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- Ashraf M.U., Masood M., Iqbal M., Ahsan M.F., Mustafa A.U.: Ascertainment of the most suitable water harvesting sites in a data-scarce region via an integrated PROMETHEE-II–AHP method in GIS environment. Water Practice & Technology, vol. 19(3), 2024, pp. 796–811. https://doi.org/10.2166/wpt.2024.052.
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- Chalouan A.: Stratigraphie et structure du paléozoïque de l’Oued Cherrat: un segment du couloir de cisaillement de la meseta occidentale (Maroc). Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg 1977 [PhD thesis].
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References
Ashraf M.U., Masood M., Iqbal M., Ahsan M.F., Mustafa A.U.: Ascertainment of the most suitable water harvesting sites in a data-scarce region via an integrated PROMETHEE-II–AHP method in GIS environment. Water Practice & Technology, vol. 19(3), 2024, pp. 796–811. https://doi.org/10.2166/wpt.2024.052.
Palanisami K., Nagothu U.S.: Expanding Hill Water Management, [in:] Palanisami K., Nagothu U.S., India’s Water Future in a Changing Climate, Springer Nature Singapore, Singapore 2024, pp. 203–227. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1785-9_10.
Ghosh A., Bera B.: Identification of potential dam sites for severe water crisis management in semi-arid fluoride contaminated region, India. Cleaner Water, vol. 1, 2024, 100011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clwat.2024.100011.
Agnew C., Anderson E.: Water Resources in the Arid Realm. Taylor & Francis, London 2024.
Chandra S., Gautam P.K., Singh A.P., Niazi M., Asgar A.: Site selection for suitability of dam construction using analytic hierarchy process (AHP): A review study on Rihand dam, Uttar Pradesh, India. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, vol. 17(11), 2024, 293. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-024-12097-x.
Hamlat A., Hamdi K., Kissari D.E., Kadri C.B., Guidoum A., Sekkoum M.: GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis for groundwater dam site selection in an arid and semi-arid region of Algeria. Groundwater for Sustainable Development, vol. 26, 2024, 101231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2024.101231.
Temesgen F., Terefe B.: Utilizing multi-criteria decision-making analysis and 3D visualization techniques for dam site selection and irrigation area identification in Gedeb River, Ethiopia. Heliyon, vol. 10(15), 2024, e35604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35604.
Zerhouni R.: Etude hydrologique des oueds côtiers de la meseta atlantique Marocaine. O.R.S.T.O.M, Paris 1982.
Beaudet G.: Le plateau central marocain et ses bordures: étude géomorphologique. Faculté des Lettres et des Sciences Humaines, Université de Paris, Paris 1969 [PhD thesis].
Chalouan A.: Stratigraphie et structure du paléozoïque de l’Oued Cherrat: un segment du couloir de cisaillement de la meseta occidentale (Maroc). Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg 1977 [PhD thesis].
Bastola S., Shakya B., Seong Y., Kim B., Jung Y.: AHP and FAHP-based multicriteria analysis for suitable dam location analysis: A case study of the Bagmati Basin, Nepal. Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, vol. 38(11), 2024, pp. 4209–4225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-024-02799-9.
Mustafa N.F., Aziz S.F., Ibrahim H.M., Abdulrahman K.Z., Abdalla J.T., Ahmad Y.A.: Double assessment of dam sites for sustainable hydrological management using GIS-fuzzy logic and ANFIS: Halabja Water Supply Project case study. Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering, August 2024, pp. 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40996-024-01586-4.
Ahmad R., Gabriel H.F., Alam F., Zarin R., Raziq A., Nouman M., Young H.-W.V., Liou Y.A.: Remote sensing and GIS based multi-criteria analysis approach with application of AHP and FAHP for structures suitability of rainwater harvesting structures in Lai Nullah, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Urban Climate, vol. 53, 2024, 101817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2024.101817.
Zhong Y., Xiong L., Zhou Y., Tang G.: Quantifying the spatial associations among terrain parameters from digital elevation models. Transactions in GIS, vol. 28(4), 2024, pp. 746–768. https://doi.org/10.1111/tgis.13157.
Akbar A.Q., Mitani Y., Nakanishi R., Djamaluddin I., Sugahara T.: Impact assessment of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) resolution on drainage system extraction and the evaluation of mass movement hazards in the upper catchment. Geosciences, vol. 14(8), 2024, 223. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14080223.
Lei Q., Zhang T., An M., Luo J., Qin L., Zhu A.X., Qiu W., Du X., Liu H.: Sensitivity analysis of SWAT streamflow and water quality to the uncertainty in soil properties generated by the SoLIM model. Journal of Hydrology, vol. 642, 2024, 131879. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131879.
Bhatt S.C., Patel A., Pradhan S.R., Singh S.K., Singh V.K., Tripathi G.P., Kishor K.: Morphometric and morphotectonic attributes of Ken basin, central India: Depicting status of soil erosion, and tectonic activities. Total Environment Advances, vol. 9, 2024, 200088. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teadva.2023.200088.
Strahler A.N.: Dynamic basis of geomorphology. Geological Society of America Bulletin, vol. 63(9), 1952, pp. 923–938. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1952)63[923:DBOG]2.0.CO;2.
Ibitoye M.O., Ajeyomi A.S.: A geoinformation-based analysis of site suitability for dams in a rain-fed agricultural system in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Journal of Sustainable Technology, vol. 13(1), 2024, pp. 129–146.
Haidery A., Umar R.: Improving groundwater vulnerability assessment in structurally controlled hard rock aquifer: Insight from lineament density and land use/land cover pattern. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, vol. 196(8), 2024, 723. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-024-12880-z.
Embaby A., Youssef Y.M., Abu El-Magd S.A.: Delineation of lineaments for groundwater prospecting in hard rocks: Inferences from remote sensing and geophysical data. Environmental Earth Sciences, vol. 83(2), 2024, 62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-023-11389-x.
Demircioğlu R.: Association of the relationship between tectonic lineaments and natural springs around Nigde Massif, Central Anatolia, Turkey. Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, vol. 52(10), 2024, pp. 2335–2346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12524-024-01957-4.
Tahiri A.: Le Maroc central septentrional: Stratigraphie, Sédimentologie et tectonique du Paléozoïque; un exemple de passage des zones internes aux zones externes de la chaine hercynienne du Maroc. Université de Bratagne Occidentale, Brest 1991 [PhD thesis].
Oubbih J., El Mansouri B., Chakiri S., El Hadi H., Elbelrhiti H.: Impact de la fracturation sur l’architecture du réseau hydrographique (cas de la région de Smaal, Maroc central Hercynien) Apport du SIG et de la télédétection. European Scientific Journal, vol. 11(3), 2015, pp. 342–360. https://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/5010.