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Water scarcity is an emerging issue and the threat is mainly realized arid and semi-arid zones. Bahr AL-Najaf in Iraq is an example of the area with the shrinking level of the local water source, the lake is a major water resource for the population in the region. This paper analyzes Landsat and Sentinel - 2B satellite imagery and their role in surface water mapping in Bahr A-Najaf. It also evaluates the maximum likelihood classification (MLC) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) methods of classification to find out the most appropriate for surface water mapping. The project site is Bahr A- Najaf with the catchment area around it. Three images composed of one Sentinel-2B image (Landsat 5) for the year 2005 and two Sentinel-2B images (2015) and 2022 (2022) were used for the classification model tests. SVM and MLC methods were investigated over water classification surface and following. The accuracy assessment outcome was brought to light. SVM technique generally used more of its power to detect the higher accuracy and the reference data overlap in number than MLC did. Besides the wavy surface areas of Bahr Al-Najaf that were determined through classification maps, a study of their fluctuations was conducted. At the beginning, the total area is 63.59 square km (in 2005), then it was more than 10.77 square km (in 2015). At the ending, the area is even 32.77 square km (in 2022). The pragmatic application of SVM method captures the suitability of this method for the surface water classification; the accuracy and efficiency of it in the detailed mapping and control of surface water in Bahr AL-Najaf is undoubtedly more than satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study intends to investigate the changes in Bahr Al-Najaf's water surface area over a period of 17 years, namely from 2005 to 2022. Bahr Al-Najaf is a body of water located in southern Iraq. The study used the Support Vector Machine (SVM) technology with satellite images from Landsat and Sentinel 2 to outline the lake's water body. To determine the lake's surface area for each annual period, the raster maps were afterwards converted into vector data inside the framework of (GIS). The study's conclusions imply that over the studied time period, there have been noticeable changes in Bahr Al-Najaf's water surface area. The lake's surface area decreased, coming in at 63.59 square units precisely. The area of 10.03 square units was used as the conversion factor for the length in kilometers in 2005. There was a decrease in the number of kilometers in 2009 of over 84%. But starting in 2009, the lake's surface size gradually increased, eventually reaching its highest measurement of 162.01 square units. the total kilometers traveled in the year 2019. The surface area was subsequently reduced, leaving a value of 120.30 square units. The study's findings are highly relevant for the sustainable management of the lake and the ecology around it. Climate change, changes in land use, and human activities like irrigation and the construction of dams are only a few examples of the natural and anthropogenic factors that have contributed to the observed changes in the water surface area of Bahr Al-Najaf. This study's investigation of surface water changes in the Bahr Al-Najaf area focuses on change detection utilizing the Support Vector Machine (SVM) technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]