INVESTIGATING GIS APPROACH IN SITE SELECTION FOR RAINWATER HARVESTING A CASE OF T/A TENGANI, NSANJE

The main obstacle to development in arid areas is the scarce and intermittent rainfall. Rainfall is a key source to diminish the problem of water scarcity in the arid and semi-arid regions. Rainwater harvesting is considered an imperious tool for rainwater conservation. Locating the appropriate location for rainwater harvesting structure plays an important role to increase water availability and improve water resources planning. The main goal of the paper is to recognize appropriate site for the allocation of rainwater harvesting structures using GIS and remote sensing which was generated using ArcGIS PRO and ArcGIS 10.8.Many thematic maps were extracted such as soil map, slope map, drainage map, rainfall map, temperature map, land use map and sedimentation map. The result shows that 3% represent the suitable sites for rainwater harvesting of the total study area, 97% represents the medium suitable area and 0% represents not suitable areas to implement rainwater harvesting structure. The proposed method is relatively supportive in analyzing geospatial data to determine and select the optimal site for rainwater harvesting for mitigation dry spells and floods.

Locating the appropriate location for rainwater harvesting structure plays an important role to increase water availability and improve water resources planning. The main goal of the paper is to recognize appropriate site for the allocation of rainwater harvesting structures using GIS and remote sensing which was generated using ArcGIS PRO and ArcGIS 10.8.Many thematic maps were extracted such as soil map, slope map, drainage map, rainfall map, temperature map, land use map and sedimentation map. The result shows that 3% represent the suitable sites for rainwater harvesting of the total study area, 97% represents the medium suitable area and 0% represents not suitable areas to implement rainwater harvesting structure. The proposed method is relatively supportive in analyzing geospatial data to determine and select the optimal site for rainwater harvesting for mitigation dry spells and floods.

This study was carried out at TA Tengani in Nsanje district in the southern region of Malawi at a latitude of 16°’43°’59°S and 35°’16°’0°E. The district covers an area of 1942square kilometers and has a population of about 1,063. The area is 131Km from Blantyre. This area has a larger population than other areas in Nsanje and it’s highly affected by climatic impacts such as floods and droughts every year. Most areas in Nsanje experience rapid droughts and floods as such the government has tried encouraging people to take part in RWH to minimize the impacts. Though people have taken up this initiative it has not been so efficient due to sufficient knowledge in its implementation. This project has stood as an outstanding way in which effective rainwater harvesting can be implemented in an area. It has managed to find the suitable site for rainwater harvesting which are free from sedimentation risks.

Traditional authority: TA Tengani

District: Nsanje

Coordinates: -16.7563, 35.2075