Integrated GIS-based multi-criteria approach for rainwater harvesting site selection in the Moulouya Basin, Morocco

Upper and middle Moulouya basin, Morocco In Morocco's Moulouya basin, recurrent droughts and rising temperatures have intensified the demand for surface water and the unsustainable exploitation of groundwater, particularly for agricultural purposes.This study aims to identify potential zones for rainwater harvesting (RWH) to reduce water shortages and improve water resource management in the upper and middle Moulouya basin. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote sensing (RS) and WETSPASS model were integerted with Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Multi-Influencing Factor (MIF) methodologies to produce suitability maps for RWH sites. The results classified the study zones into five suitability classes: "unsuitable" to " very suitable", with around very suitable area 1588 km² and 2228 km² in MIF and AHP method respectively. The integrated models were validated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and correlation coefficient, revealing area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.87 for AHP and 0.93 for MIF. The correlation coefficient was 0.79 and 0.77 in MIF and AHP, respectively, indicating moderate to high predictive accuracy, respectively. The findings of this study provide a valuable tool for decision-makers, hydrologists and planners to address water management challenges in the Moulouya basin. The integrated approaches are applicable for basins in other areas with similar hydrogical conditions particularly in regions prone to severe drought. • Integrates GIS, AHP, and MIF to identify rainwater harvesting (RWH) sites. • Addresses water scarcity and groundwater overuse in Morocco's Moulouya basin. • Identified over 1500 km² of land highly suitable for rainwater harvesting. • The MIF model was validated with high predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.93). • Offers a transferable approach for water management in other arid regions.