Identification of potential managed aquifer recharge sites in hyper-arid environment using GIS and analytical hierarchy process
Abstract Utilizing aquifers as groundwater storage reservoirs is an effective strategy for water management in water scare regions. The success of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) relies on the assessment and modeling of site-specific hydrogeological characteristics, including groundwater salinity, tr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Applied Water Science |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-025-02431-3 |
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| author | Hazrat Bilal Rajesh Govindan Slim Zekri Ali Al-Maktoumi Mohammad Mahdi Rajabi Chefi Triki Wiem Harrathi |
| author_facet | Hazrat Bilal Rajesh Govindan Slim Zekri Ali Al-Maktoumi Mohammad Mahdi Rajabi Chefi Triki Wiem Harrathi |
| author_sort | Hazrat Bilal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Utilizing aquifers as groundwater storage reservoirs is an effective strategy for water management in water scare regions. The success of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) relies on the assessment and modeling of site-specific hydrogeological characteristics, including groundwater salinity, transmissivity, storativity, slope, soil properties, proximity to water recharge networks and road accessibility, etc. This study employs a GIS-based multi-criteria evaluation technique, integrating both ground and remote sensing datasets. The results indicate that a significant portion of the total land area, approximately 7,414.11 km2 (64%), can potentially be utilized for MAR practices, while the remaining 36% is restricted due to various constraints, such as built-up areas, roads, agricultural lands and nationally protected areas for conservation. The available 64% of land is further categorized into subclasses ranging from highly suitable to least suitable areas. Most of the highly and moderately suitable regions are located in the northern central parts of the country where seasonal surplus treated wastewater and desalinated water may be used to recharge groundwater. Furthermore, MAR technology can also be used to tackle saltwater intrusion in the coastal areas by injecting seasonal surplus desalinated and treated wastewater. These findings suggest that MAR technology has a high potential to facilitate aquifer water storage and recovery in the country, which can contribute to sustainable water resources. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b696f9baeb7c42688973e696dce5ecb4 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2190-5487 2190-5495 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
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| series | Applied Water Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-b696f9baeb7c42688973e696dce5ecb42025-08-20T02:33:26ZengSpringerOpenApplied Water Science2190-54872190-54952025-04-0115511510.1007/s13201-025-02431-3Identification of potential managed aquifer recharge sites in hyper-arid environment using GIS and analytical hierarchy processHazrat Bilal0Rajesh Govindan1Slim Zekri2Ali Al-Maktoumi3Mohammad Mahdi Rajabi4Chefi Triki5Wiem Harrathi6Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar FoundationDivision of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar FoundationDepartment of Soils, Water and Agricultural Engineering, Water Research Center, Water Resources Management – Arid Zone Hydrology, Sultan Qaboos UniversityDepartment of Natural Resource Economics, College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos UniversityFaculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tarbiat Modares UniversityKent Business School, University of KentDivision of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar FoundationAbstract Utilizing aquifers as groundwater storage reservoirs is an effective strategy for water management in water scare regions. The success of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) relies on the assessment and modeling of site-specific hydrogeological characteristics, including groundwater salinity, transmissivity, storativity, slope, soil properties, proximity to water recharge networks and road accessibility, etc. This study employs a GIS-based multi-criteria evaluation technique, integrating both ground and remote sensing datasets. The results indicate that a significant portion of the total land area, approximately 7,414.11 km2 (64%), can potentially be utilized for MAR practices, while the remaining 36% is restricted due to various constraints, such as built-up areas, roads, agricultural lands and nationally protected areas for conservation. The available 64% of land is further categorized into subclasses ranging from highly suitable to least suitable areas. Most of the highly and moderately suitable regions are located in the northern central parts of the country where seasonal surplus treated wastewater and desalinated water may be used to recharge groundwater. Furthermore, MAR technology can also be used to tackle saltwater intrusion in the coastal areas by injecting seasonal surplus desalinated and treated wastewater. These findings suggest that MAR technology has a high potential to facilitate aquifer water storage and recovery in the country, which can contribute to sustainable water resources.https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-025-02431-3GroundwaterMARTSEMCDMGISQatar |
| spellingShingle | Hazrat Bilal Rajesh Govindan Slim Zekri Ali Al-Maktoumi Mohammad Mahdi Rajabi Chefi Triki Wiem Harrathi Identification of potential managed aquifer recharge sites in hyper-arid environment using GIS and analytical hierarchy process Applied Water Science Groundwater MAR TSE MCDM GIS Qatar |
| title | Identification of potential managed aquifer recharge sites in hyper-arid environment using GIS and analytical hierarchy process |
| title_full | Identification of potential managed aquifer recharge sites in hyper-arid environment using GIS and analytical hierarchy process |
| title_fullStr | Identification of potential managed aquifer recharge sites in hyper-arid environment using GIS and analytical hierarchy process |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identification of potential managed aquifer recharge sites in hyper-arid environment using GIS and analytical hierarchy process |
| title_short | Identification of potential managed aquifer recharge sites in hyper-arid environment using GIS and analytical hierarchy process |
| title_sort | identification of potential managed aquifer recharge sites in hyper arid environment using gis and analytical hierarchy process |
| topic | Groundwater MAR TSE MCDM GIS Qatar |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-025-02431-3 |
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