Rainfall trends and variability in selected areas of Ethiopian Somali Regional State, Southeastern Ethiopia

Tekalign, Solomon

doi:10.4314/ejesm.v10i2.3

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…To mitigate water scarcity during extended dry seasons, the implementation of large-scale RWH structures is imperative. Despite the irregular nature of rainfall, data spanning from 1997 to 2015 indicate an adequate number of rainy days annually (up to 49), supporting the feasibility of RWH through strategic site selection for large-scale structures [108]. Identifying appropriateness using a suitability analysis for any plan often requires several possible options that can be assessed based on multiple criteria.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rainwater Harvesting Site Selection for Drought-Prone Areas in Somali and Borena Zones, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia: A Geospatial and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Bojer,

Bekalo,

Debelee

et al. 2024

Water

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Rainwater collection systems play a crucial role in enhancing water availability in regions with low precipitation. This study focused on identifying potential rainwater harvesting (RWH) locations in drought-prone areas, specifically the Borena zone of Oromia and the regional states of Somali. This research leveraged geospatial techniques and a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to assess feasible RWH sites. The dataset comprises essential factors such as rainfall, drainage density, slope, soil texture type, and land use/land cover. These thematic layers serve as inputs for analysis, with each factor being weighted using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method based on its significance. Reclassifying factors into subclasses facilitates suitability analysis. The weighted linear combination (WLC) technique is applied to identify and prioritize potential rainwater harvesting (PRWH) locations based on four suitability classes: highly suitable, moderately suitable, low suitability, and unsuitable. Our findings reveal that 1% of the study area, covering approximately 3288 km2, is highly suitable for RWH. Areas with moderate suitability constitute approximately 12% (37,498 km2), while regions with low suitability, representing the majority, encompass about 75% (242,170 km2). Additionally, 13% (41,000 km2) of the study area is deemed unsuitable for RWH. The proposed technique for identifying suitable RWH sites is adaptable to other low-precipitation regions. However, before implementing RWH structures, further research is imperative. This study proposed the exploration of socioeconomic variables in future research and urged for an in-depth examination of various aspects of environmental sustainability. Our research paves the way for adapting rainwater harvesting systems to align with community needs and life cycles while also exploring the socio-economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability for future study. The insights offer promising solutions to address the urgent issues associated with water scarcity. This should include comprehensive site depictions, an exploration of social and economic activities, and the meticulous preparation of a cost-benefit analysis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%