Multi-criteria Assessment of Potential Check Dam Location for Sustainable Development in Urban River Basins of the Eastern Mediterranean

In watershed management, check dams are commonly used to increase lag time, recharge groundwater, and decrease flood peak discharge and sediment transfer. In this regard, the Eastern Mediterranean region is characterized by frequent floods which destroy infrastructure and property. Developing a comprehensive framework that proposes suitable locations for the construction of check dams is among the challenges of water resources management in the Eastern Mediterranean. Therefore, this study set out to create a multi-criteria decision-based model for selecting optimal sites for check dams in the Harisoun River Basin, western Syria. In this study, various data sources were relied upon to derive the factors affecting the implementation of the modeling process. Topographical, environmental and socio-economic factors were identified as objective layers in preparing the suitability model for the check dam site selections. The results indicate the optimal locations of the check dam with five spatial degrees of suitability. The high and very high suitability areas showed high spatial consistency with the flood depressions along the stream network with a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) value of 89%. Overall, the production of a check dam locations map represents a strategy that guarantees the sustainable development process in the Eastern Mediterranean.