Spatial Multi-Criteria Analysis for Rainwater Harvesting Site Suitability Using GIS and AHP: A Case Study of Hababah Sub-Watershed, Amran Governorate, Yemen
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has become a necessity rather than a luxury in addressing increased water scarcity. However, identifying suitable locations for RWH systems remain a significant challenge, particularly in data-scarce and resource-limited contexts. This study aims to determine optimal sites for surface rainwater harvesting using GIS and AHP by integrating both biophysical and socioeconomic criteria for RWH site selection. A mixed-methods approach was employed, where KII’s and FGD’s played a central role in validating the top six biophysical and the top three socioeconomic criteria influencing site suitability. Expert-based PWC were used to assign weights to these criteria, supporting the development of a spatial decision-making model. The generated suitability map reveals that 7.6% of the study area is highly suitable, 23% suitable, 22% moderately suitable,14% marginally suitable, and 33.4% unsuitable for rainwater harvesting. Model field validation was conducted by overlaying 26 existing rainwater harvesting systems onto the suitability map, which showed that 61.5% of the current systems are located in highly and moderately suitable areas, while 38.5% are situated in low-suitability zones, demonstrating the strong predictive performance of the adopted approach and its sensitivity to change in any of the influenced criteria. The study concludes that the integration of multidisciplinary biophysical and socioeconomic criteria through GIS and AHP provides an effective and cost-efficient approach for sustainable resource planning, especially in arid, semi-arid, and data-scarce areas. The study recommends extending this approach to other watersheds, and strengthening the integration of socioeconomic aspects with modern geospatial techniques to enhance sustainable water resource management.
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