The Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process and GIS to Map Suitable Rainwater Harvesting Sites in (Semi-) Arid Regions in Jordan

The current study is based on the evaluation of the assessment of rainwater harvesting (RWH) in (semi- arid) regions. Where, this study aimed to assess the implementation of RWH by developing a methodology that can be easily applied to identify rainwater harvesting locations in Hasa Basin in southwest Jordan, through integration between the Multiple Criteria Decision Models (MCDM) using an analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and Geographic Information System (GIS). The main factors considered to achieve the aim of the study were rainfall intensity, runoff, slope, flood susceptibility, soil texture, geology, land use/ cover (LULC), elevation, rivers, faults, settlement centers, roads, wells. These were reclassified and weighted to map the levels of rainwater harvesting in the study area. Rainwater harvesting suitable sites map obtained for the study area showed that areas with high and very high suitability formed, respectively, about 11.14% and 1.17%, while areas with low and very low suitability, in contrast, constituted about 46.09% and 9.68 %, respectively, of the total area of the study area.