Identification of feasible regions for managed aquifer recharge in the Republic of Cyprus using a co-participative multi-criteria decision analysis

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Constantinos F. Panagiotou - , Cyprus University of Technology (Autor:in)
  • Sarah Eisenreich - , Technische Universität Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Olga T. Barouta - , Open University of Cyprus (Autor:in)
  • Anis Chekirbane - , University of Carthage (Autor:in)
  • Tiago Martins - , Laboratorio Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC) (Autor:in)
  • Stelios Neophytides - , Cyprus University of Technology (Autor:in)
  • Khaoula Khemiri - , University of Carthage (Autor:in)
  • Catalin Stefan - , Professur für Grundwassersysteme, Technische Universität Dresden (Autor:in)

Abstract

This study proposes an integrated approach that aims at finding locations which are eligible for Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) installation in Cyprus via the active involvement of key stakeholders of MAR-related sectors during all stages of the decision process to ensure the validity of the outcomes. The MAR problem is jointly formulated with the key stakeholders according to the site needs by introducing the so-called “MAR typology” concept, consisting of the recharge objective, the recharge method, and the available water sources. Tertiary-treated wastewater is adapted as the water source, which is recharged in aquifers via recharge ponds for irrigation. Various sources of information have been considered for assessing the degree of feasibility, aggregated in three thematic clusters (feasibility components), namely intrinsic site-suitability, the availability of water resources for MAR purposes, and water demand. Twelve criteria have been selected jointly with key stakeholders to evaluate the feasibility components via a GIS-MCDA process. Seven of these criteria are associated with the intrinsic suitability of a region (aquifer, land-use, and topographical properties), and five criteria are associated with the amount of water available for MAR (characteristics of the water source and evapotranspiration) and the crop irrigation needs. Stakeholder meetings were conducted to determine weights for each criterion and thematic cluster, leading to thematic and feasibility maps. The results demonstrate large discrepancies among the feasibility components in terms of their spatial variation and the location where the most favourable regions are present. Smoother profiles are observed for intrinsic suitability compared to the other thematic layers, partly attributed to the use of a larger number of criteria. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the MAR-favourable regions are weakly influenced by the variation of the relevant importance among the thematic layers, being mostly present in the vicinity of the southern and south-eastern coastlines.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer101323
FachzeitschriftGroundwater for Sustainable Development
Jahrgang27
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Nov. 2024
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Schlagworte

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

Schlagwörter

  • Feasibility mapping, Managed aquifer recharge, MAR typology, Multi-criteria decision analysis, Stakeholder-adapted approach