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Identifying rainwater harvesting structure sites using MCDM-based GIS approach: a mitigation measure for drought in sub-humid red and lateritic zones of West Bengal, India

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Abstract

The sub-humid regions of India have become vulnerable to recurrent drought in recent times due to climate change. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has a promising potential to overcome water scarcity under a warming climate. The present study emphasizes a pragmatic methodology for evaluating potential sites for RWH structures (RWHSs) implementing multiple criteria decision assessment (coupled with geographic information system) in drought-prone Purulia, which comes under the sub-humid red and laterite zones (RLZs) of West Bengal, India. This study also assessed the performance and sustainability of the RWHSs on farmers’ well-being. The input parameters were runoff coefficient, land cover/land use, slope, soil, lineament, drainage density, stream order, geology, and groundwater level. Weights allotted to thematic layers and the consistency ratio were examined for the Analytical Hierarchy Process implemented in this study. The demarcation of suitable area includes five types: most (1.4%), high (35.7%), moderate (31.3%), poor (29.3%), and unsuitable (2.3%). The area apt for building farm ponds and percolation tanks encompasses 245 km2 and 36 km2, respectively. In addition, this study identified 21 sites for sub-surface dykes, 166 sites for nala bunds, and 30 sites for check dams as suitable locations. The empirical analysis was based on a survey of 105 RWHSs sites to validate the potential RWHSs site suitability (85.7%) and implementation. This study applying an improved methodology has superior potential to identify the optimum sites for RWHSs. Such farm-level adaptations, if implemented properly, would lead to significant gains in crop yield and income of marginal farmers.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the Adaptation Fund Project through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development implemented by the Development Research Communication and Services Centre, (DRCSC) Kolkata for the research and infrastructural support. The first author is grateful to Jadavpur University for awarding the State Fellowship. The authors would also like to acknowledge the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Geological Survey of India (GSI), Survey of India (SOI), and Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) Kolkata, for sharing the data. We are also grateful to the farming community of Kashipur block for their kind cooperation and active participation during the field data collection and surveys.

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  1. School of Oceanographic Studies, Jadavpur University, 188 Raja S. C. Mallick Road, Kolkata, 700032, West Bengal, India

    Sabita Roy, Sugata Hazra & Abhra Chanda

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  1. Sabita Roy
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Roy, S., Hazra, S. & Chanda, A. Identifying rainwater harvesting structure sites using MCDM-based GIS approach: a mitigation measure for drought in sub-humid red and lateritic zones of West Bengal, India. Arab J Geosci 15, 784 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-10077-7

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