Locating Suitable Areas for Surface and Pressurized Irrigation Systems Using Hierarchical Analysis in Dez Plain

Pressurized irrigation methods can be a suitable solution for optimal use of water resources, provided that the selection, design, implementation and operation of irrigation systems are done with sufficient care and according to the principles. In decision-making and implementation of pressurized irrigation systems at the sub-regional and regional scale, several factors such as water, soil and climate along with socio-economic factors are of particular importance. Dez Plain (including Lor, Dimcheh, West Dez, East Dez and Sabili plains) is the largest plain and one of the most important agricultural hubs in Khuzestan Province. In this study, using AHP in GIS software, the suitability of various areas for implementing different irrigation systems (localized, solid set, wheel move, centre pivot, linear, Gun, low-pressure, and surface) was investigated in Dez Plain. For this purpose, effective criteria including socio-economic and field physical conditions were considered for implementation of each irrigation method. Socio-economic criteria included four sub-criteria, namely, operation and maintenance, costs, laborers skills, and local culture, and physical conditions included water, climate, soil, and topography. The final location map was prepared in GIS software. According to the results, Dez Plain areas with high suitability for each methods were as follows: 62.77% for all sprinkler systems, 14.6% for localized irrigation, 14.3% for low-pressure irrigation, and 8.3% for surface irrigation. Among all irrigation methods, the solid-set sprinkler obtained the highest score in all parts of the study area and, in total, 15.04% of the whole plain is highly suitable for this system.