GIS – based multicriteria decision analysis for the delimitation of an agricultural perimeter irrigated with treated wastewater

•This study focuses on the case of the Cebala perimeter, situated in North Tunisia.•The delimitation of the area, where treated wastewater is reused, presents an interesting opportunity to reduce maintenance and exploitation costs and to increase the profitability per ha.•The area is basically delimitated according to Treated WasteWater demand.

Treated wastewater resource is underexploited in Cebala’s Irrigated scheme (Northern Tunisia) and farmers are reluctant to reuse it. The delimitation of the irrigated area will help enhance the global economic profitability of the perimeter not only by reducing the operation and maintenance costs but also by optimizing the reuse activity according to the farmers’ demands, their aspirations and aims. Thus, the aim of this paper is to consider reducing the surface of the irrigated area, keeping only the parcels where the resource is highly demanded. A spatial data analysis using a multicriteria decision technique (compromise programming—CP) and a geographical information system was carried out to choose the best scenario. To this end, five zones where breeding activity is well developed and the non-conventional resource highly demanded were identified as the closest delimitations to the ideal solution.The Compromise programming method was used to rank these solutions. Finally, a surface of 2485 ha was identified as the best delimitation scenario, corresponding to the area where breeding activity is well developed.