Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AERI); Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO); Karaj, Iran
2 Department of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Efficient water management is crucial in arid and semi-arid regions like Iran. In this study, the potential of rainwater harvesting (RWH) for irrigating urban parks and landscapes in Zanjan, Iran, was evaluated. For this purpose, the rainfall data from the Zanjan synoptic station during the period 2014-2022 was used. Using the ArcGIS software, the area and slope of parks and landscapes was determined. The volume of harvested rainwater from these surfaces was estimated using different run-off coefficients for different slopes. The results indicated that the total area of parks and landscapes in Zanjan is 537200 m², with slopes ranging from 0% to 18.47%. The irrigation requirements are only partially met by the harvested rainwater, except for March, when we had the most rain. In January and February, rainwater meets 7.68% and 12.60% of the needs, respectively. In March, all the water requirement is met, with extra water stored for April. This stored water fully meets the water requirement in April, with some left for May, covering 18.94% of its demand. In May, 26.88% of the needs are met. From June to December, rainwater meets between 0.54% and 10.92% of the needs. March, April and May have the highest potential for meeting irrigation needs through RWH. This emphasizes the importance of constructing RWH reservoirs, which helps save municipal water and prevents rainwater from being wasted.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)