Site Selection for Construction of the Underground Dams in the Khorram Abad Watershed Using the Analytical Network Processes

One way to achieve sustainable development in arid and semi-arid areas is to construct underground dams due to the relatively high evaporation rate from surface waters in these areas. The Khorram Abad region was selected to identify suitable sites for constructing such dams using the hierarchical analysis method. Location criteria (reservoir axis, vegetative cover, climate and water) were determined using the geo-sampling techniques. The most suitable areas to construct the underground dams and coordinates of points were identified. The points and their prioritization for construction of the underground dam were assessed using expert opinion. The layer of each criterion was calculated using a wide-ranging hierarchical analysis model in locating the underground dams and assessing the merit of each layer. The layers were coordinated using the ArcGIS software. The results indicated that the hierarchical analysis is a method that highlights the importance of appropriate standards in site selection and emphasizes the qualitative criteria, where there are numerous criteria, and neglects the quantitative criteria.