Suitable Site Selection for Rainwater Harvesting for Drinking and Agricultural Purposes using Hub Coating Problem (PR Algorithm)

Surface water resulted from rainfall-runoff responses in a basin is a potential water source that if it is managed properly can be useful to demand secure. In this study, hub coating algorithm (PR) and geographic information system (GIS) were used to identify areas with potential in Birjand plain for rainwater harvesting. The weight of 18 decision-making indices was calculated and prioritized using TOPSIS method.  After determining the weight of each of these indices for locating rainwater harvesting potential, indices maps were prepared in Arc GIS 10.3 software and then for final mapping of rainwater harvesting potential of Birjand plain, points having common characteristics of 6 highest weight indices were determined. In total, 220 points were extracted as the best points from the TOPSIS method. Using the hub overlay method with algorithm (pr) and coding in Matlab environment, out of 220 points, 20 points were identified as suitable locations (hubs). Finally, the final map was drawn by inserting these points into ArcGIS software. The results showed that in the north and northwest of Birjand, the soil has a high capacity for rainwater harvesting, these areas mainly have sandy-pebbly soil texture, high permeability, moderate rainfall and residential land use.