Introduction

Geotechnologies consist of tools that enable geographic data acquisition, processing, analysis,
and access .Arid and semi-arid areas such as Iraq suffer not only from limited precipitation but
also from poor management of rainwater for agricultural use. One technique for rainwater
harvesting (RWH) is to collect excess runoff water during the rainy season and store it for
agricultural purposes during dry spells. Remote sensing (RS) and geographic information
systems (GIS) are widely used to identify suitable RWH sites.
In this study an integrated approach was adopted to determine the stability RWH site in
(Tobzawa village) belong to koya district in Erbil , province only 4km away from the center of
koya City and borders with each of the villages : ( Shex Alwan , Mam qlinj , Harmota , Kela
xwar, Faqeyan , krozh ) . The population of the village Is about more that 75 families that nearly
315 people ,village has 670 acres of land suitable for rain-fed agriculture, 4 acres of land for
irrigated agriculture and 64 acres of orchards that produce various fruits (General Directorate of
Agriculture of Erbil Province / Directorate of Agriculture of Koya – Koya Center). The
geographical location of the village and the favorable climate and the existence of the necessary
conditions for the construction of a dam has made us think about building a dam in this area, the
conditions are:
 Topography : Making maximum use of the available volume of water is the main objective
of a dam. The slope of the area, groundwater table, contour, weather condition, etc is other
factors for dam site selection.
 Economic criteria : This includes the construction and maintenance cost of the dam. The land
value, cost of construction materials and construction time, etc. to be taken into account
while selecting a dam site. Quality construction materials required for dam construction have
to be available near the proposed location. Always opt for a small length dam with maximum
water holding capacity for economising the project.
 Earthquake zone : The dam site should not be an earthquake zone. It may cause a collapse of
the dam and losses.
 Material availability – Materials like rock, aggregate, soil, filler, etc. should be available
near the site.
 Climate condition : The climate of the site should be bearable, possibilities of landslides
should not occur.
 Spillway site: A suitable location for the spillway should be available in the nearby vicinity
of the dam.
 The dam site should be easily accessible and economically connected to nearby areas. Area
required for establishments and labour camps of construction group shall be available nearby
in a safe zone.
 Environmental issues should be taken into consideration while selecting the dam site.
 Height of Dam :The height of the dam should be economical, and should store the maximum
amount of water
 Foundation :The foundation should bear the whole weight and pressure of the dam. It should
be permeable, thick, and should have adequate strength.
The existence of this dam will cause Irrigated agriculture in the villages of the area Also The people
of the area have been using natural water resources for many years, but due to the drought in recent
years, they have resorted to drilling wells and using groundwater, which causes the depletion of
groundwater and the disappearance of groundwater, Therefore, one of the other benefits of this dam
is that it protects groundwater and revitalizes it for future generations to benefit from, It also prevents
waste of snow and rainwater.