A two-step approach to investigate the effect of rating curve uncertainty in the Elbe decision support system

For river basin management, the reliability of the rating curves mainly depends on the accuracy and time period of the observed discharge and water level data. In the Elbe decision support system (DSS), the rating curves are combined with the HEC-6 model to investigate the effects of river engineering measures on the Elbe River system. In such situations, the uncertainty originating from the HEC-6 model is of significant importance for the reliability of the rating curves and the corresponding DSS results. This paper proposes a two-step approach to analyze the uncertainty in the rating curves and propagate it into the Elbe DSS: analytic method and Latin Hypercube simulation. Via this approach the uncertainty and sensitivity of model outputs to input parameters are successfully investigated. The results show that the proposed approach is very efficient in investigating the effect of uncertainty and can play an important role in improving decision-making under uncertaint

Modeling water resources management at the basin level: review and future directions

Water quality / Water resources development / Agricultural production / River basin development / Mathematical models / Simulation models / Water allocation / Policy / Economic aspects / Hydrology / Reservoir operation / Groundwater management / Drainage / Conjunctive use / Surface water / GIS / Decision support systems / Optimization methods / Water supply

Water Resources Allocation and Agriculture

The book brings together a range of leading scholars and practitioners to compile an international account of water allocation policies supporting a transition to sustainable water use in regions where agriculture is the dominant water use. In Section 1, the collection canvasses five key cross-cutting issues shaping the challenge of sustainable water allocation policy, such as legal and economic perspectives, the role of politics, the setting of environmental flows, and the importance of indigenous rights. Section 2 presents 13 national, state and transboundary case studies of water allocation policy, covering cases from Europe, the Americas, Central Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific region. These case studies highlight novel and innovative elements of water allocation regimes, which respond to the cross-cutting issues addressed in Section 1, as well as local challenges and social and environmental imperatives. The book provides a comprehensive account of water allocation in a range of international settings and provides a reference point for practitioners and scholars worldwide wishing to draw on the latest advances on how to design and implement sustainable water allocation systems

Third international conference on irrigation and drainage

Presented during the Third international conference on irrigation and drainage held March 30 - April 2, 2005 in San Diego, California. The theme of the conference was Water district management and governance.Includes bibliographical references.Sponsored by USCID; co-sponsored by Association of California Water Agencies and International Network for Participatory Irrigation Management.The changing face of western irrigated agriculture: structure, water management, and policy implications -- Proven institutional, financing and pricing principles for rural water services -- Involving stakeholders in irrigation and drainage district decisions: who, what, when, where, why, how -- Implementing district level irrigation water management with stakeholder participation -- WUA development and strengthening in the Kyrgyz Republic -- Variations in irrigation district voting and election procedures -- Water Users Association governance in developing countries: fragility and function -- Viet Nam: creating conditions for improved irrigation service delivery -- the case of the Phuoc Hoa Water Resources Project -- Technical and institutional support for water management in Albanian irrigation -- Reconciling traditional irrigation management with development of modern irrigation systems: the challenge for Afghanistan -- Field testing of SacMan Automated Canal Control System -- An infrastructure management system for enhanced irrigation district planning -- NCWCD efforts toward improving on-farm water management -- A web-based irrigation water use tracking system -- Using GIS to monitor water use compliance -- Development of a water management system to improve management and scheduling of water orders in Imperial Irrigation District -- Radar water-level measurement for open channels -- Non-standard structure flow measurement evaluation using the flow rate indexing procedure - QIP -- A GIS-based irrigation evaluation strategy for a rice production region -- Total Channel Control™ - an important role in identifying losses -- Commencing the modernization project of the Gila Gravity Main Canal -- Obtaining gains in efficiency when water is free -- A qualitative approach to study water markets in Pakistan -- Local groundwater management districts and Kansas state agencies share authority and responsibility for transition to long term management of the High Plains Aquifer -- Water user management and financing of irrigation facilities through use of improvement districts -- Irrigation management transfer to water user organizations in Turkey -- Farm size, irrigation practices, and on-farm irrigation efficiency in New Mexico's Elephant Butte Irrigation District -- The ITRC Rapid Appraisal Process (RAP) for irrigation districts -- Relationships between seepage loss rates and canal condition parameters for the Rapid Assessment Tool (RAT) -- Zarafshan Water District Improvement Project in Uzbekistan -- Technological modernization in irrigated agriculture: factors for sustainability in developing countries -- Reliability criteria for re-engineering of large-scale pressurized irrigation systems -- Upgrading existing databases: recommendations for irrigation districts -- Groundwater use in irrigated agriculture in Amudarya River basin in socio-economic dimensions -- Regional ET estimation from satellites

Characterisation of dust sources in Central Asia using remote sensing

Central Asian deserts are a significant source of dust in the middle latitudes, where economic activity and the health of millions of people are affected by dust storms. Detailed knowledge of sources of dust, controls on their activity, seasonality and atmospheric pathways are of crucial importance but to date, these data are limited. This thesis presents a detailed database ofsources ofdust emissions in Central Asia, from western China to the Caspian Sea, obtained by a multi-scale analysis of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data. The multi-scale approach consists of the following steps: 1) MODIS Deep Blue Aerosol Optical Depth (DB AOD) at 10 km resolution, acquired between 2003 and 2014, is used to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution ofdust hotspots. 2) A dust enhancement algorithm was employed to obtain two composite images (Dust Enhancement Product, DEP) per day at 1 km resolution from MODIS Terra/Aqua acquisitions between 2003 and 2012, from which dust point sources (DPS) were detected by visual analysis of dust plumes and recorded in a database together with meteorological variables at each DPS location derived from the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset. In all, more than 13500 DPS were identified. Using this multi-scale approach we provided a high resolution inventory of dust sources at sub-basin scale for Central Asia. Our analysis revealed several active source regions, the most active of which are the eastern part ofthe Taklmakan desert. An important finding was an increase in dust activity in the newly-formed desert ofthe Aralkum. Several ofthe identified dust source regions were not previously identified (e.g. sources in northern Afghanistan) or were not widely discussed in literature before (e.g. the Pre-Aral region in western Kazakhstan). Investigation of land surface characteristics and meteorological conditions at each source region revealed mechanisms for the formation of dust sources, including rapid desiccation of water bodies (e.g. Aral Sea), deflation of dust from fluvial sources (e.g. the Upper Amudarya region) and post-fire wind erosion (e.g. Pre-Aral and Lake Balkhash basins). Different seasonal patterns of dust emissions were observed as well as inter-annual trends. Comparison of DB AOD and DPS revealed a noticeable spatial bias in the AOD-based methods for detection of dust sources which is attributed to the fact that the highest atmospheric dust loadings are not always observed over the dust point sources

State-of-the-Art Report on Systems Analysis Methods for Resolution of Conflicts in Water Resources Management

Water is an important factor in conflicts among stakeholders at the local, regional, and even international level. Water conflicts have taken many forms, but they almost always arise from the fact that the freshwater resources of the world are not partitioned to match the political borders, nor are they evenly distributed in space and time. Two or more countries share the watersheds of 261 major rivers and nearly half of the land area of the wo rld is in international river basins. Water has been used as a military and political goal. Water has been a weapon of war. Water systems have been targets during the war. A role of systems approach has been investigated in this report as an approach for resolution of conflicts over water. A review of systems approach provides some basic knowledge of tools and techniques as they apply to water management and conflict resolution. Report provides a classification and description of water conflicts by addressing issues of scale, integrated water management and the role of stakeholders. Four large-scale examples are selected to illustrate the application of systems approach to water conflicts: (a) hydropower development in Canada; (b) multipurpose use of Danube river in Europe; (c) international water conflict between USA and Canada; and (d) Aral See in Asia. Water conflict resolution process involves various sources of uncertainty. One section of the report provides some examples of systems tools that can be used to address objective and subjective uncertainties with special emphasis on the utility of the fuzzy set theory. Systems analysis is known to be driven by the development of computer technology. Last section of the report provides one view of the future and systems tools that will be used for water resources management. Role of the virtual databases, computer and communication networks is investigated in the context of water conflicts and their resolution.https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/wrrr/1005/thumbnail.jp

Water Resources Allocation and Agriculture

The book brings together a range of leading scholars and practitioners to compile an international account of water allocation policies supporting a transition to sustainable water use in regions where agriculture is the dominant water use. In Section 1, the collection canvasses five key cross-cutting issues shaping the challenge of sustainable water allocation policy, such as legal and economic perspectives, the role of politics, the setting of environmental flows, and the importance of indigenous rights. Section 2 presents 13 national, state and transboundary case studies of water allocation policy, covering cases from Europe, the Americas, Central Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific region. These case studies highlight novel and innovative elements of water allocation regimes, which respond to the cross-cutting issues addressed in Section 1, as well as local challenges and social and environmental imperatives. The book provides a comprehensive account of water allocation in a range of international settings and provides a reference point for practitioners and scholars worldwide wishing to draw on the latest advances on how to design and implement sustainable water allocation systems

Efficient Water Allocation and Water Conservation Policy Modeling in the Aral Sea Basin

Increasing water demand in the Aral Sea basin (ASB) challenges policy makers to implement in-time and effective water management measures to mitigate both the on-going and upcoming water crisis in the region. This study examines three important options for addressing the core reasons of aggravated water (ab)use in the ASB. In the first option, sectoral transformations (e.g., economic restructuring) are considered by prioritizing economic activities with relatively high economic growth impacts and low water consumption requirements. In the second option, it is assessed to replace the current administrative water management institutions with more effective market-based water allocation institutions to encourage cooperation among regional water users for attaining optimal basinwide benefits. In the third option, technological and infrastructural improvements are evaluated following an increased efficiency of the irrigation systems and building reservoirs in the upper reaches of the rivers to regulate river flow. The economic restructuring option was analyzed by ranking all economic sectors based on their sustainable economic growth potentials using an environmentally extended input-output model. The forward and backward linkages and the total (direct and indirect) water requirements of the different economic activities were estimated and compared. The results indicated that water demand in the ASB can be reduced by decreasing the production of the water intensive sectors such as agriculture in favor of the development of less water demanding, non-agricultural sectors. Potential effects of replacing the traditional administrative water allocation system with market-based water allocation approaches were examined through an aggregated hydro-economic model. Substantial basinwide economic gains appeared feasible when the trade of water rights among all irrigation zones was allowed in each river basin (the Amu Darya or Syr Darya). Total benefits under restricted water rights trading by permitting the trade only among the regions located within each upstream, midstream, and downstream sub-basins (catchments) is lower than the total economic gains of unrestricted water rights trading but was still higher than total benefits of the option without trading. The results indicated that the availability of additional annual gains ranged $373–476 million USD depending on water availability under an inter-catchment (unrestricted) water trading system. Similarly, additional annual gains of$ 259–339 million USD were predicted under intra-catchment (restricted) water trading. Results also showed that transaction costs of more than $0.05 USD per m3 of water use rights eliminate the potential benefits of a water trading option. Technical improvements to raise the efficiency of water use and water coordination were analyzed through a disaggregated hydro-economic model. Substantial benefits can be expected from improving irrigation (conveyance and water application) efficiencies in the ASB. According to the results, total basinwide benefits can increase by 20% to 40% depending on basinwide water availability when irrigation system efficiencies are optimized across the basin. The findings also showed that construction of upstream reservoirs as intensely debated by up- and downstream countries in Central Asia does not considerably influence the irrigation water availability if these reservoirs are operated with the objective of providing optimal basinwide benefits. Yet, the risks of flooding related to natural and political calamities and reduced downstream water availability during the period of filling the reservoirs should be evaluated further for a more comprehensive assessment of the infrastructural developments. High risks of using upstream reservoirs as a tool of geopolitical influence and consequent damage on downstream irrigation and environmental systems should not be forgotten as well.Modellierung von Strategien zur effizienten Allokation und Schonung von Wasserressourcen im Einzugsgebiet des Aralsees Im Einzugsgebiet des Aralsees (ASB) stellt der steigende Wasserbedarf eine Herausforderung an die Entscheidungsträger dar, zeitnah Maßnahmen für eine effiziente Wasserbewirtschaftung einzuführen, um die derzeitige und zukünftige Wasserkrise in der Region zu entschärfen. Diese Studie untersucht drei wichtige Ansätze, um die grundlegenden Ursachen der sich verschärfenden Wasserbewirtschaftungsprobleme im ASB zu bearbeiten. Die erste Option ist die sektorale Transformation (ökonomische Neuordnung), bei der man wirtschaftliche Aktivitäten mit hoher Priorität versieht, die einen relativ hohen Impuls auf das Wirtschaftswachstum ausüben und einen niedrigen Wasserverbrauch erfordern. Die zweite Option besteht darin, die bürokratischen Wassermanagement-Institutionen durch effektivere Markt-basierte Wasserallokations-Institutionen zu ersetzen, die die Zusammenarbeit zwischen regionalen Wassernutzern fördern, um in Bezug auf das gesamte Einzugsgebiet Vorteile zu erzielen. Die dritte Option beinhaltet die Verbesserung der Effizienz der Bewässerungssysteme und den Bau von Speichern zur Regulierung des Abflusses an den Oberläufen der Flüsse. Die Möglichkeit der ökonomischen Restrukturierung wurde mit Hilfe eines auf die Umweltfaktoren ausgeweiteten Input-Output Modells analysiert, so dass im Ergebnis alle ökonomischen Sektoren im Hinblick auf ihren potenziellen Beitrag zu einem nachhaltigen Wirtschaftswachstum beurteilt und in eine Rangliste gebracht wurden. Hierfür wurden Vorwärts- und Rückwärtsverknüpfungen und die gesamten (direkten und indirekten) Wasserbedarfswerte der verschiedenen wirtschaftlichen Aktivitäten geschätzt und miteinander verglichen. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass der Wasserbedarf im ASB reduziert werden kann, indem die Produktion wasserintensiver Sektoren wie Landwirtschaft verringert wird, während die Entwicklung weniger wasserintensiver Sektoren außerhalb der Landwirtschaft gefördert wird. Mit einem aggregiertem hydro-ökonomischen Modell wurden potenzielle Auswirkungen untersucht, die mit dem Ersetzen des traditionellen administrativen Wasserallokations-System durch Markt-basierte Wasserallokation erzielt werden können. Bedeutende ökonomische Gewinne im gesamten Einzugsgebiet sind erreichbar, wenn der Handel von Wasserrechten zwischen allen Bewässerungszonen in jedem der Einzugsgebiete (Amu Darya oder Syr Darya) erlaubt wurde. Die Begrenzung des Handels von Wasserrechten auf jeweils Untereinheiten der Einzugsgebiete (oberer, mittlerer, unterer Teil) führte zu einem Gesamtgewinn, der zwar geringer ausfiel als im Fall des unbegrenzten Handels aber höher war als bei der Option ohne Wasserhandel. Die Ergebnisse zeigen ein Potential von zusätzlichen jährlichen Gewinnen zwischen 373 bis 476 Millionen USD durch den Handel mit Wassernutzungsrechten im gesamten Einzugsgebieten (zwischen den Untereinheiten) in Abhängigkeit von der Wasserverfügbarkeit. Gleichermaßen ergeben sich zusätzliche Erträge von 259 bis 339 Millionen USD durch den Handel innerhalb von Untereinheiten desEinzugsgebietes. Weiterhin zeigen die Ergebnisse, dass Transaktionskosten von über 0.05 USD/m3 pro Einheit gehandelter Wasserhandelsrechte die potenziellen Vorteile der Wasserhandelsoption eliminieren würden. Technische Ansätze zur Verbesserungen der Effizienz der Wassernutzung und -koordination wurden mit einem dis-aggregierten hydro-ökonomischen Modell analysiert. Erhebliche Vorteile werden von der Verbesserung der Bewässerungswirkungsgrade (Bewässerungsnetz und Feldebene) im ASB erwartet. Aufgrund der Ergebnisse lässt sich der Gewinn im gesamten Einzugsgebiet um 20 bis 40% steigern (in Abhängigkeit von der Wasserverfügbarkeit), wenn die Bewässerungswirkungsgrade im gesamten Einzugsgebiet optimiert würden. Weiterhin belegen die Ergebnisse, dass die Konstruktion von Speicher an den Oberläufen der Flüsse (wie derzeit intensiv zwischen Ober- sowie Unterliegerstaaten in Zentralasien diskutiert) die Verfügbarkeit von Bewässerungswasser in der Region nicht erheblich beeinträchtigt, wenn diese Speicher unter der Zielvorgabe optimaler Einzugsgebiets-weiter Vorteile betrieben werden. Jedoch sollten mögliche Überflutungsrisiken durch Erdbeben und politische Instabilitäten sowie die verringerte Wasserverfügbarkeit flussabwärts während der Periode der Füllung der Speicher weiterführend untersucht werden, um eine fundierte Bewertung dieser Infrastrukturmaßnahmen zu ermöglichen. Es sollte nicht vernachlaessigt werden, dass die hohen Risiken von Speichern in oberen Bereichen der Einzugsgebiete durch die Nutzung als Instrumente geopolitischer Einflussnahne und aufgrund von Folgen fuer unterliegende Bewaesserungsgebiete sowie Oekoststeme die Vorteile der Speicher bei der infratsrukturellen Entwicklung eliminieren koennen

Transbasin water transfers

Presented at the 2001 USCID water management conference, Transbasin water transfers on June 27-30, 2001 in Denver, Colorado.It too often is the case that transbasin water transfer projects, worldwide, could be beneficial to an entire region and are well engineered and yet will never be constructed. This paper reviews social, political, financial, economic, and environmental factors that were dealt with in an effective manner by strong project advocates to realize the construction of the Laja Diguillin Irrigation Project. The Project is located in Region VIII of southern Chile. It stretches across nearly 100 kilometers of stream-dissected terrain to the south of the City of Chillan. The newly built primary transmission canal was designed to convey 1400 cusecs (40 cumecs) of diverted river flow from the Laja River, across six intermediate streams, to discharge some 28 miles (45 kilometers) distant into a pool created by a rubber dam on the Diguillin River. From this pool at the town of Bulnes the water is to be further diverted, along with flow of the Diguillin River, into a system of large primary irrigation canals. This transbasin diversion project was designed to provide economic uplift to the farmers of the region who had not participated in the near countrywide economic boom of the 199Os. Thus the Chilean Government chose to plan, design, and build the project while still maintaining the principle that the private sector should own, operate, and maintain irrigation projects. Additionally, the Directorate of Irrigation of the Ministry of Public Works was empowered, after some 50 years without designing a major irrigation project, to carry out with government financing the Laja Diguillin Project. The coalescence of factors that the Ministry recognized and made effective accommodations for may be grouped into four categories. They were: 1) advocacy, which was strongly provided by Directorate personnel; 2) social, characterized by the challenge to integrate newly enfranchised irrigators with existing water users and their organizations; 3) government, which as a dynamic emergent democracy with an established bureaucracy of skilled technocrats and economists was flexible and able to adopt new or innovative approaches; and 4) competing interests for water and land, embodied in three groups who actively opposed the project for environmental and commercial reasons

Transbasin water transfers

Presented at the 2001 USCID water management conference, Transbasin water transfers on June 27-30, 2001 in Denver, Colorado.Includes bibliographical references.As the headwaters for seven major rivers, water resources in Colorado have been diverted for use for over 150 years. Transbasin diversions have been developed to move water from one river basin to another, including transmountain diversions, which move water over the continental divide. Transmountain diversions have historically been developed to provide water for irrigated agriculture and municipal purposes. This paper briefly discusses the development of each of Colorado's 30 transmountain diversions between the Colorado, South Platte, Arkansas and Rio Grande river basins, and provides a summary of diversions for recent years