Optimal location of possible areas for rainwater harvesting in the southern zone of Honduras, year 2016

Abstract

In Honduras, 137 of the 298 municipalities are considered vulnerable to drought under the National Action Plan to Combat Desertification and Drought (PANLCD), which is the technical and strategic instrument developed in 2005. Rainwater harvesting, also known as “water harvesting”, may be one of the solutions to meet the challenge posed by the low availability of liquid in various regions of the country. Six criteria in weighted linear combination (WLC) were used in this research to select optimal sites for the construction of water harvesting and conservation systems within the study area. Five municipalities were selected as the study area, all in the department of Valle, and it was found that the optimal areas for establishing water harvests in the study area cover an area of 7,116 Ha, which represents 10% of the total area, while the remaining areas are classified as Not Adequate (29%). And Less Adequate (61%).