In arid and semi-arid regions, the availability of adequate water of appropriate quality has become a limiting factor for development. Dry spells are a direct consequence of spatial and temporal variability of rainfall, and these jeopardize the replenishment of different water resources in the West Bank, Palestine. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is an unconventional water source that is increasingly adopted in the West Bank. 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 scarcity for domestic, crop and livestock production and support the overall water resources management in the West Bank. This paper aims to develop RWH suitability map 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. Model Builder of ArcMap 9.3, 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. Details of the proposed method as well as the suitability map produced are presented in this paper. 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

Professional Environmental Education for Sustainable Development: Plugging the Hole.

Conference Country

Palestine

Conference Date

Nov. 16, 2011 - Nov. 17, 2011

Conference Sponsor

Birzeit University, Palestine