Assessment of sand encroachment in Kuwait using GIS and Statistical Methods Anwar Al-Helal Geologist Ministry of Public Works, Kuwait Email: anwarhel@hotmail.com Assessment of sand encroachment in Kuwait using GIS has been formulated as a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) problem. The Delphi method and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) were adopted as evaluating techniques, in which experts’ judgments were analyzed for objectively estimating and weighting control factors. Seven triggering factors, depicted in the form of maps, were identified and ordered according to their priority. These factors are: (1) wind energy; (2) surface sediment; (3) vegetation density; (4) land use; (5) drainage density; (6) topographic change and (7) vegetation type. The factors maps were digitized, converted to raster data and then overlaid to determine their possible spatial relationships. Applying a susceptibility model, a map of sand encroachment susceptibility in Kuwait was developed. The map showed that the areas of very high and high sand encroachment susceptibility are located within the main corridor of sand pathway that coincides with the northwesterly dominant wind direction.