<p>In hyper-arid regions, water resources management is critical due to scarce rainfall, flash floods and groundwater scarcity. Effective water resource management is crucial for sustainable development in hyper-arid regions. This study focuses on Wadi Al-Baroud in the Egyptian Eastern Desert (ED), a corridor connecting the Nile Valley and the Red Sea, is chosen as a test site. An integrated approach using geoinformatics and 2D-electrical resistivity tomography (2D-ERT) is proposed for effective water management. Geoinformatics-based Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) are used with Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) method to generate hydrographs and runoff models. The flash flood hydrograph reveals that existing dams lack sufficient capacity to prevent downstream flooding and catastrophic consequence. To manage such hazards, 2D-ERT measurements are conducted at vulnerable flood sites, identified through flood susceptibility (FS) analysis. The Advanced inversion approach with a robust-model option is applied towards reducing uncertainty of 2D-ERT inversion results. The geoelectrical findings show thick alluvium deposits that can serve as aquifers. New dam sites in these zones, along with raising the elevation of existing dams, are proposed to harvest floodwater and enhance aquifer replenishment. As a result, approximately 2,942,113 m³ of floodwater can be harvested from the total effective discharge of about 5,520,875 m³. This integrated approach offers valuable insights for sustainable water resource management in Wadi Al-Baroud and has broader implications for similar structurally controlled watersheds globally.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>