Abstract

Integrated and Sustainable GIS-Based Watershed Management, Al-Qor Watershed, UAE
Track: Water Resources
Authors: Norm Jones, Ahmad Salah, Mahmoud Al-Tamimi, Alan Lemon

The Al-Qor watershed in the United Arab Emirates poses significant water resource management challenges. The area has low rainfall, high evaporation rates, erosion due to lack of green cover, and flooding risk when rains occur because much of the watershed is exposed rock which makes for high intensity runoff. Flood control structures have been built recently within the watershed to mitigate the flood risk; however, fine sediments have filled in much of the area upstream of these structures, reducing infiltration and increasing the amount of water lost to evaporation. The target of this study is to analyze, model and characterize the surface water and groundwater components of the watershed. Final result of this study will facilitate the development of a watershed management model in order to enhance rainwater harvesting and minimizing losses through evaporation. This was accomplished using a combination of field work, geospatial investigation, numerical modeling, and geochemical analysis.