Generation of Potential Sites for Sustainable Water Harvesting Techniques in Oum Zessar Watershed, South East Tunisia

Mohamed Arbi Abdeladhim, Luuk Fleskens, Jantiene Baartman, Mongi Sghaier, Mohamed Ouessar and Coen J. Ritsema
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Mohamed Arbi Abdeladhim: Higher School of Agriculture of Mograne, Zaghouan 1121, Tunisia
Luuk Fleskens: Soil Physics and Land Management Group, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Jantiene Baartman: Soil Physics and Land Management Group, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Mongi Sghaier: Institute des Régions Arides, Route de Djorf km 22.5, Medenine 4119, Tunisia
Mohamed Ouessar: Institute des Régions Arides, Route de Djorf km 22.5, Medenine 4119, Tunisia
Coen J. Ritsema: Soil Physics and Land Management Group, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-20

Abstract: Water harvesting techniques (WHTs) are important climate change adaptation measures to better manage rainwater for domestic and agricultural purposes, but which WHT to plan where is subject to sustainability considerations. Moreover, suitability of different WHTs varies from one location to another, depending on physical and socio-economic conditions. This study aimed to identify suitable sites for WHTs taking into account stakeholders’ sustainability criteria. In a participatory assessment framework, Geographic Information Systems and the “Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique” were combined to generate suitability maps and to guide sustainable WHTs investments. Steps included the calculation of a sustainability index for a set of traditional and newly introduced WHTs from the perspective of two stakeholder groups, farmers and decision-makers, and its integration with layers of biophysical constraints. An application of the framework in the Oum Zessar watershed, southeast Tunisia, shows that traditional techniques are the most suitable and sustainable for farmers and fall within the highly suitable class in 76.4% of the total area, while decision-makers prefer innovative techniques that are highly suitable in 80.4% of the watershed. The framework offers a scalable transparent process for knowledge integration in support of WHT investment decisions that can be adapted to other dryland areas.

Keywords: GIS; rainwater harvesting; composite sustainability indicator; spatial multi-criteria analysis; Tunisia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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