Volume 13 · Issue 2 · June 2026
Integration of GIS and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for Optimal Dam Site Selection in the Ranya River Basin
Muhammad Ali Qadir, Nali Jawad Hamad
The decline in water resources is one of the main environmental and economic issues in the world. The Kurdistan Region is not immune to these effects. Building small and medium-sized dams is one of the strategic solutions for storing water and managing water resources. Nevertheless, selecting suitable locations is a complex decision-making process and requires the analysis of many different criteria in order to achieve and accurate results while avoiding high costs and risks. The purpose of this research is to determine the most suitable sites for building dams in the Ranya River Basin by using the Geographic Information System (GIS), the method of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM), and the model of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) Model. Ten main criteria were selected from various aspects of geology, topography, hydrology, and environment. The relative weight of each criterion was determined through the AHP model, and subsequently, all criteria were standardized in the GIS. By utilizing the Pairwise Comparison Matrix between the criteria and combining them based on their weights (Weighted Overlay), the final map of site suitability was produced. The results show that the study area has been divided into five categories based on suitability level: very suitable (15.0%), suitable (26.7%), moderately suitable (28.4%), less suitable (21.6%), and not suitable (8.3%). This map can serve as an effective scientific tool for developers and decision-makers for the development of water harvesting projects in the area.
