The Department of geoscience at the college of Science discussed a doctoral thesis entitled (The optimal choice of sites for desalination plants using the multi-calibrated decision methodology in the province of Basrah in southern Iraq). Researcher (Nour Abdullah Abadi Al-Najjar).
The study aims to establish a surface water desalination plant on the eastern side of Basra governorate covering more than 5 square kilometers and feeding more than one million people. The study included focusing on the construction of a solar-powered groundwater desalination plant in Basrah city and integrating Geographic Information Systems and multi-criteria decision-making methods such as AHP-TOPSIS and AHP-VIKOR in the selection of suitable sites . The results have found that the FAO, Shatt al-Arab and Khor Al-Zubair areas are ideal desalination plants for surface water in southern Iraq. The study recommends prioritizing areas with high suitability for desalination using the AHP-VIKOR and AHP-TOPSIS models, while integrating renewable energy, especially solar energy, to enhance sustainability.