The President of the Northern Technical University participated as a member and supervisor in the discussion of a master’s thesis at the Technical Engineering College – Kirkuk.

Professor Dr. Alyaa Abbas Ali Al-Attar, President of the Northern Technical University, took part in her capacity as a member and supervisor in the discussion of the master’s thesis at the Technical Engineering College – Kirkuk, entitled:

“Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with the Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) Approach to Analyze and Evaluate the Selection of a Wastewater Treatment Plant Site: A Case Study of the Unified Sewerage Project in Kirkuk,”

submitted by the student Marwan Kamran Jalal.

The thesis addressed the analysis and evaluation of the site of a wastewater treatment plant currently under construction, as the city of Kirkuk suffers from the absence of such central treatment plants. As a result, untreated wastewater is discharged into the Khasa River, which passes through the middle of the city and divides it into two parts. Accordingly, analyzing and evaluating the selection of the proposed wastewater treatment plant site in Kirkuk constituted the main objective of this study.

The defense session was held from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on 4/1/2026.

Research Objectives:

Building a spatial model based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and multi-criteria decision-making methods (AHP and FAHP) to determine optimal sites for wastewater treatment plants in the city of Kirkuk.

Identifying and analyzing the environmental, economic, social, and technical criteria affecting the selection of treatment plant sites in Kirkuk, and determining their relative weights using the AHP and FAHP methods.

Comparing the results of the AHP and FAHP methods in terms of spatial representation accuracy, result sensitivity, and uncertainty within a complex urban environment such as Kirkuk.

Producing spatial suitability maps that support decision-makers in Kirkuk Governorate within the framework of sustainable urban planning.

Proposing alternative, feasible sites that comply with the approved environmental and regulatory requirements in the city.

Key Findings:

The integration of GIS with the AHP and FAHP methods demonstrated high efficiency in analyzing and evaluating the suitability of proposed sites for wastewater treatment plants in the city of Kirkuk.

The FAHP results showed a greater ability to represent uncertainty compared with the AHP method, providing a more realistic spatial distribution of suitability levels.

The suitability maps indicated that areas with high suitability were concentrated in the south and southwest of Kirkuk, as these areas are characterized by lower elevations, are distant from residential تجمعات, and align with future visions for population growth and urban expansion.

Environmental criteria ranked first in terms of relative weights, followed by technical, then economic and social criteria.

The results confirmed the possibility of adopting the proposed model as an effective decision-support tool for planning authorities in the city and governorate of Kirkuk when selecting future treatment plant sites.

The Examination Committee consisted of:

Prof. Dr. Qahtan Ahmed Mohammed — Chair

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdulrahman Ramzi Quba — Member

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Keelan Ismat Safaaldin — Member

Prof. Dr. Alyaa Abbas Al-Attar — Member and Supervisor

Prof. Dr. Montadhar Eidi Sharif — Member and Supervisor