In arid and semi-arid regions, the availability of adequate water of appropriate quality has become a limiting factor for sustainable development. The West Bank, Palestine, is one of arid to semi-arid regions where the supply-demand gap is increasing due to the increasing water demands of a growing population with hydrologically limited and uncertain supplies. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is an unconventional water resource that is increasingly adopted in the West Bank to bridge the increasing water supply-demand gap. The potential of RWH (e.g. cisterns) to mitigate the spatial and temporal variability of rainfall has been confirmed in the region. Its implementation is promoted by local communities and non-governmental organizations to alleviate temporal and spatial water shortage for domestic, crop and livestock production and support the overall water resources management in the West Bank. This research aims to mapping the suitability of RWH for the West Bank. In this study, RWH suitability map is developed based on a combination of spatial weighted factors of landuse, soil, topography (slope), and runoff coefficient. GIS, that enables a weighted overlay of thematic datasets, is used to create the suitability map of RWH for the West Bank. Results indicate that about 40% and 11% are suitable and highly suitable for RWH, respectively. Moreover, the obtained results for the entire West Bank (macro scale) are tested in Faria catchment (micro scale).  Faria catchment (320 km²), located in the northeastern part of the West Bank, Palestine, is one of these arid to semi-arid catchments where recently, the prolonged drought periods in the catchment and the increasing water demand have made the existing obtainable water resources vulnerable. The analysis shows that adopting RWH techniques in the catchment is a potential option to save water for dry periods when the supply-demand gap is comparatively high. The implementation of the obtained results is envisaged to support any governmental policy shifts towards wide spread adoption of RWH in the West Bank.

Conference Title

Palestinian Conference on Rainwater Harvesting and Management

Conference Country

Palestine

Conference Date

April 4, 2016 - April 4, 2016

Conference Sponsor

Birzeit University, Palestine