Selecting the Most Suitable Site for Dam Construction in the Garmian Administration Using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) Methods

Abstract

This study was conducted within the field of practical hydrology, employing Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods to identify the most suitable locations for dam and pond construction within the Garmian Administration. Garmian is situated in the northeastern part of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, within a semi-mountainous area. It shares borders with Sulaymaniyah Governorate to the north, Halabja Governorate to the northeast, Kirkuk Governorate to the northwest, Salahaddin Governorate to the west, and Diyala Governorate to the southwest and south. To the east, along approximately 122.5 km, it borders Kermanshah Province in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The main objective of this research is to determine the optimal sites for constructing ponds and dams aimed at storing water from seasonal streams and runoff, as well as harvesting rainfall during wet seasons to be utilized for various purposes in dry periods. Based on the analysis, the study concludes that a very small portion of the study area is classified as completely unsuitable or of low suitability, comprising approximately 0.27% and 6.68% respectively. In contrast, more than half of the study area falls within the suitable and highly suitable categories for dam construction, accounting for about 46.97% and 5.96% of the total area respectively.