Assessment of water stress and environmental degradation in Najaf Governorate: A multi-indicator analysis using geospatial techniques

Authors

  • Lect. Dr. Ammar Yseen Awad AL-Fahdawi Department of Geography, College of Education for Humanities, University Of Anbar Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31185/wjfh.Vol22.Iss3/Pt3.1934

Keywords:

Water stress, agricultural drought, spectral indicators.

Abstract

 

    This study investigates the dynamics of water stress and drought phenomena in Najaf Governorate over the period (1990–2025) utilizing spectral indices. The results reveal a significant increase in Land Surface Temperature (LST), which escalated to (23.54–52.37°C) in 2025 compared to (21.32–47.43°C) in 1990. Concurrently, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for the dominant category (moderate vegetation) declined substantially from 79.42% to 30.31%. Furthermore, the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) decreased from 81% to 57%, while the Temperature Condition Index (TCI) values rose from 28.62 to 33.44. The Vegetation Health Index (VHI) exhibited a distinct shift, with extreme drought conditions accounting for 58.19% of the area in 2025. Additionally, the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) outcomes unveil a critical environmental transition, exacerbating ecological stress and widespread drought driven by climate change and surging land surface temperatures. Based on these findings, the study recommends adopting sustainable water resource management strategies, including water governance, implementing smart irrigation techniques, and expanding the cultivation of drought-tolerant crops to mitigate environmental degradation in the study area.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Lect. Dr. Ammar Yseen Awad AL-Fahdawi, Department of Geography, College of Education for Humanities, University Of Anbar

    الاسم: عمار ياسين عواد صالح الفهداوي

    اللقب العلمي: مدرس دكتور

    التخصص الدقيق: موارد مائية

    ماجستير موارد مائية/جامعة الانبار/2016-2027

    دكتوراه موارد مائية/جامعة الانبار/2019-2020

    تدريسي بقسم الجغرافية/ جامعة الانبار منذ عام 2019 ولحد الان

    الابحاث المحلية عدد 6

    الابحاث المنشورة في مستوعب سكوباس عدد 4

    الابحاث المقبولة للنشر محليا 2 

    الابحاث المقبولة للنشر في مستوعبات سكوباس 2

     

References

1. Anad, F. H., & Yassin, A. M. (2025). Spectral Indicators for Detecting Hydrological Changes of Southern Iraq Using RS-GIS. International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 11(1), 134-151.‏

2. Al Arazah, A. (2017). Assessment of the hydrological status of Iraq using a combination of remote sensing and drought indices (Doctoral dissertation, University of Reading).‏

3. Son, N. H., An, T. T., Van An, N., & Minh, T. P. (2024, May). Spatial-Temporal Assessment of Drought in Hoa Vang district, Da Nang City, Vietnam Using Remote Sensing and Google Earth Engine. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 1345, No. 1, p. 012013). IOP Publishing.‏

4. Van An, N., Tuong, N. T., & An, T. T. (2023, April). Monitoring Droughts in the Vu Gia-Thu Bon River Basin Using the Cloud-Based Google Earth Engine. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 1170, No. 1, p. 012005). IOP Publishing.‏

5. Al-Khakani, E. T., & Al-janabi, W. F. (2023). Land surface temperature dynamics in response to changes in land cover in an-Najaf Province, Iraq. Korean J. Remote Sens, 39(1), 99-110.‏https://doi.org/10.7780/kjrs.2023.39.1.7

6. Al-Qayyssi, K. A., Mohammed, K. S., Al-Dulaimi, S. Z., & Al-Rawi, M. K. (2024). Estimating soil erosion in Al-Aubyth valley using modern techniques and the RUSLE equation. Journal homepage: http://iieta. org/journals/ijdne, 19(5), 1551-1561.‏

7. Al-Timimi, Y. K., Al-Lami, A. M., Basheer, F. S., & Awad, A. Y. (2024). Impacts Of Climate Change On Thermal Bioclimatic Indices Over Iraq. Iraqi Journal Of Agricultural Sciences, 55(2), 744-756.‏

8. العتابي، ناديه حاتم طعمه.(2025). التغير في درجات الحرارة العظمى في مدينة الحلة وفق سيناريوهات التغير المناخي الإقليمية. مجلة واسط للعلوم الانسانية, 21(4), 297-282. https://doi.org/10.31185/wjfh.Vol21.Iss4.1195

9. Bento, V. A., Trigo, I. F., Gouveia, C. M., & DaCamara, C. C. (2018). Contribution of land surface temperature (TCI) to vegetation health index: A comparative study using clear sky and all-weather climate data records. Remote Sensing, 10(9), 1324.‏ https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10091324

10. Duan, S. B., Li, Z. L., Wang, C., Zhang, S., Tang, B. H., Leng, P., & Gao, M. F. (2019). Land-surface temperature retrieval from Landsat 8 single-channel thermal infrared data in combination with NCEP reanalysis data and ASTER GED product. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 40(5-6), 1763-1778.‏ https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2018.1460513

11. Kogan FN. Operational space technology for global vegetation assessment. Bulletin of the American Meterological Society 2001;82(9):1949-64

12. Oroud, I. M. (2011). Evaporation estimates from the Dead Sea and their implications on its water balance. Theoretical and applied climatology, 106(3), 523-530. DOI:10.1007/s00704-011-0452-6

13. Oroud, I. M. (2019). The annual surface temperature patterns across the Dead Sea as retrieved from thermal images. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 12(22), 695. doi.org/10.1007/s12517-019-4862-6

14. Oroud, I. M., & AlTubeiri, Z. S. A. (2023). Estimation of Evaporation from the Surface Water of the Gulf of Aqaba using Band 10 Onboard Landsat 8. Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, 50(6).‏ doi.org/10.35516/hum.v50i6.304

15. Ramal, K. A., Mehemdi, Y. H. A., & Awad, A. Y. (2024). Analysis of the Trends of Change in Temperature and Precipitation and their Impact on Water in Anbar Governorate (1980-2023). Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, 51(5), 16-32.‏

16. Serban, C., & Maftei, C. (2025). Remote Sensing Evaluation of Drought Effects on Crop Yields Across Dobrogea, Romania, Using Vegetation Health Index (VHI). Agriculture, 15(7), 668. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15070668

17. الربيعي، ميادة طالب كاظم.(2026). تحليل أثر التغيرات المناخية على ديناميكية (كثافة وتوزيع) الغطاء النباتي في الأجزاء الشمالية والشمالية الشرقية من محافظة واسط باستخدام مؤشرات الاستشعار عن بعد للمدة 2005-2025. مجلة واسط للعلوم الانسانية, 22(2), 388-369. https://doi.org/10.31185/wjfh.Vol22.Iss2.1546

18. Yang, J., Duan, S. B., Zhang, X., Wu, P., Huang, C., Leng, P., & Gao, M. (2020). Evaluation of seven atmospheric profiles from reanalysis and satellite-derived products: Implication for single-channel land surface temperature retrieval. Remote Sensing, 12(5), 791.‏ doi.org/10.3390/rs12050791

19. Zeng, J., Zhang, R., Qu, Y., Bento, V. A., Zhou, T., Lin, Y., ... & Wang, Q. (2022). Improving the drought monitoring capability of VHI at the global scale via ensemble indices for various vegetation types from 2001 to 2018. Weather and Climate Extremes, 35, 100412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2022.100412

20. الخالدي، رافد صالح مهدي أ. (2025). تحليل تأثير التغير المناخي على الخصائص الكمية للأمطار والجفاف اليومية في العراق. مجلة واسط للعلوم الانسانية, 21(2), 227-193. https://doi.org/10.31185/wjfh.Vol21.Iss2.895

21. Awwad, A., & Ramal, K.(2021). Climatic Water Balance For Al-Rutba Provine-Western Iraq. Journal Of Alanbar University For Humanities,2021(2).109.

Downloads

Published

2026-08-25

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 3/Pt3 (2026): Wasit Journal for Human Sciences

Section

History and Geography

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Ammar Yseen Awad AL-Fahdawi

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

AL-Fahdawi, A. Y. A. (2026). Assessment of water stress and environmental degradation in Najaf Governorate: A multi-indicator analysis using geospatial techniques. Wasit Journal for Human Sciences, 22(3/Pt3), 292-271. https://doi.org/10.31185/wjfh.Vol22.Iss3/Pt3.1934