In order to select suitable rainwater harvesting sites within the study area, rainwater harvesting criteria needed to be determined, defined, and structured. Several criteria played an important role in selecting the most suitable rainwater harvesting sites. A multicriteria analysis (MCA) approach, which is widely used to classify potential rainwater harvesting sites, was chosen to help select potential sites in the Wadi Horan region of Iraq. An MCA approach offered a systematic methodology focused on mathematics as well as professional expertise to organize and evaluate complex decisions. Unfortunately, there is no method for choosing among them the most appropriate for a given decision problem, as the choice remains a subjective task. This study used a geographic information system (GIS)-based approach with remote sensing to identify the optimal sites for rainwater harvesting. Four indices: evaporation, cost–benefit, sediment, and hydrology were selected in order to compare the potential sites. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP), fuzzy AHP, and rank order method (ROM) were used to assign weight to the study criteria. The results were then compared using a statistical (variance inverse (VI)) method. A sensitivity analysis was done to test the uncertainties and robustness of the results for each method. The results showed that the ROM and VI methods affected the ranking priority and considered all of the criteria that were sensitive to impact in the ranking process at the different levels compared to the methods of AHP and fuzzy AHP.

Currently, desertification is a major problem in the western desert of Iraq. The harsh nature, remoteness, and size of the desert make it difficult and expensive to monitor and mitigate desertification. Therefore, this study proposed a comprehensive and cost‐effective method, via the integration of geographic information systems (GISs) and remote sensing (RS) techniques to estimate the potential risk of desertification, to identify the most vulnerable areas and determine the most appropriate sites for rainwater conservation. Two indices, namely, the Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Degradation Index (LDI), were used for a cadastral assessment of land degradation. The findings of the combined rainwater harvesting appropriateness map, and the maps of NDVI and LDI changes found that 65% of highly suitable land for rainwater harvesting lies in the large change and 35% lies in the small change of NDVI, and 85% of highly suitable land lies in areas with a moderate change and 12% lies in strong change of LDI. The adoption of the weighted linear combination (WLC) and Boolean methods within the GIS environment, and the analysis of NDVI with LDI changes can allow hydrologists, decision‐makers, and planners to quickly determine and minimize the risk of desertification and to prioritize the determination of suitable sites for rainwater harvesting.

Small significance earth dams during the dry period for locals at most semi-arid cannot be overestimated. Water stored in the same of these dams is little or no lack of domestic water and drinking water for residents during dry periods. The main limitation is the lack of knowledge of the storage quantities of small dams in the study area and knowing this form of field data regularly is costly and needs a long and arduous time. Remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) can be used in this study due to their ability to measure and analyze the amount of water stored in some small reservoirs. In this paper, the Water Natural Difference Index (NDWI) is used to detect the surface area as the base to estimate small reservoir storage capacities. The model equation created by this study provided a tool to know the amount of water available per day in the small reservoirs during the dry season and thus was able to obtain clear pictures of the water resources system by the planners. This method may help the planners and water managers will quickly make decisions on how to utilize and manage the available water given the various competing uses.

Traditional methods for geotechnical mapping cannot efficiently provide the needed information because these analysis are commonly costly, time consuming and li

Geotechnical engineering, similar to other branches of engineering, must adapt and progress in accordance with contemporary technological advancements. The present investigation endeavors to examine the spatial correlations between soil characteristics, such as Undrained Shear Strength (Su) and Bearing Capacity of shallow footing (qu), across various regions within the city of Falluja. This city experienced significant infrastructure devastation subsequent to the year 2017, necessitating the need to keep up with the rapid development occurring in this locality. Consequently, it is imperative to devise the most expeditious means of acquiring preliminary data at the most cost-effective rate and within the shortest timeframe. For this study, The NOVOSPT was used to test and evaluate the (SPT) standard penetration test readings to obtain the values of soil properties for the research area using the 149 test holes in the study area. These values were used to generate a digital geotechnical map of the urban area utilizing the Geographic Information System (GIS). This map accurately depicts the spatial distribution of geotechnical characteristics that can be promptly accessed whenever required, thereby resulting in time and cost savings for engineers

Water scarcity, intensified by climate change and anthropogenic accomplishment, poses a critical task to worldwide sustainability. Iraq is one of the countries that has experienced severe water shortages due to the impacts of climate change and lack of water resources management. The most significant impacts of climate change are the availability and contamination of water resources. The main goal of this study is to develop a methodology to mitigate the effects of drought by utilizing saline water from the Main Outfall Drain (MOD) with the integrated WATSUIT model and Geographic Information System (GIS). After assessing the physical and chemical properties (pH, TDS, EC, Na, Mg, and Ca) at five monitoring stations (Baghdad, Hilla, Diwaniyah, Nasiriyah, and Basra) that have been selected along the MOD irrigation according to Iraqi and global criteria, the study determined that the water quality is unsuitable for drinking but adequate for irrigating salt-tolerant crops. The accumulated salinity at a steady state was estimated using the WATSUIT model. The results indicated that Basra’s water could not be used even at the highest washing requirements, while other sites were deemed acceptable with washing needs of (0.1) In comparison with salinity levels, the water in Al-Basra was found to be unusable even at maximum washing needs of 0.4. However, a significant improvement in the salinity levels was observed in Al-Diwaniyah at an LF of (0.2) Nevertheless, salinity levels in Al-Nasiriyah remain high, even at LF values between 0.2 and 0.4. Additionally, the total dissolved salts mostly exceed 2000 ppm, indicating the potential for growing salt-tolerant plants. The study concludes that using rainwater harvesting for soil washing, along with the saline water from the MOD, can help mitigate the impacts of climate change, remove salts from soils, and support the irrigation of salt-resistant crops.