HYDROGRAPHICAL MODELLING FOR POTENTIALITY OF WATER HARVESTING AND LAND/USE PLANNING, WADI EL ATFEHY, EASTERN DESERT, EGYPT

Abstract

Runoff Water Harvesting (RWH) is an effective solution to overcome scarcity of water in arid regions. The target of this study is to identify the suitable sites for (RWH) constructions and to determine the high potential zones for water/Landuse. The present study concerned with El Atfehy hydrographic basin as one of the most promising regions in the Eastern desert of Egypt due to its economic importance related to the demand for alternative water resources. The present work provides the integration of (GIS); satellite images (ETM+) and watershed modeling system (WMS) as a new approach for sustainable development of water resources. Based on these techniques the most effective hydrologic and hydromorphometric criteria that represent effective impact factors were integrated and analyzed in a GIS framework to develop Weighted Spatial Probability Model (WSPM). An appropriate weightage was specified to each criteria according to its impact on water potentiality. The resulting RWH potentiality map delineates the study area into five classes from very low to very high runoff potentiality. Water/Landuse master plan is constructed to recognize the priority regions for agricultural and socio-economic activities. The resulting map reveals that about 18% of the total hydrographic basin area is the most promising regions for water/Landuse. Application of the integrated methodology introduces a new approach for water resources management in the selected basin and allover the arid regions.