Uso combinado de análisis multicriterio y simulación de aguas subterráneas dentro de un marco espacial de toma de decisiones para la asignación óptima del agua de riego

In arid and semiarid areas in the world, including the Mediterranean region, groundwater has been widely and intensively used for irrigation over the last few decades. Practical as well as economic reasons make its use much more preferable, as compared to surface water, especially to individual farmers. Yet, this rapid and largely uncontrolled expansion in groundwater exploitation, which stimulated the socioeconomic development of numerous rural communities, has produced many negative impacts on aquifer degradation and environmental deterioration. The most common remedy to such problems is the application of specific groundwater management policies that can simultaneously meet socioeconomic and environmental protection goals. In this sense, the paper introduces a methodology for an optimal management of irrigation water, by specifically exploring the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of spatially allocated water conservation measures at the watershed level. The analysis is conducted by developing a multi-criteria decision-making framework, consisting of three distinct models: a hydrogeological, an optimization, and a multi-criteria one, which appraises the results of the other two. The proposed methodology is presented through a case study at a rural Greek watershed, in which groundwater is the sole water source for an intensively practiced agriculture. A system of water use quotas is the resource conservation policy instrument that is examined under a decision-making approach. Results show that some specifically designed and spatially non-uniform quota allocation schemes can meet in an optimum way the relevant criteria.Las aguas subterráneas se han usado intensivamente en las regiones áridas y semiáridas del planeta, incluyendo el Mediterráneo. Hay razones económicas y prácticas que las hacen preferibles a las aguas superficiales, especialmente para agricultores individuales. Sin embargo esto ha conducido a una expansión incontrolada del uso de aguas subterráneas que ha estimulado el desarrollo de muchas comunidades rurales, pero que ha producido impactos negativos como degradación en acuíferos y deterioro ambiental. El remedio más común para estos problemas es la aplicación de políticas de gestión de aguas subterráneas que busque satisfacer simultáneamente los objetivos ambientales y socioeconómicos. Este trabajo introduce una metodología explorando los impactos ambientales y socioeconómicos de una asignación de recursos a nivel de acuífero. El análisis se hace desarrollando un esquema multicriterio consistente en tres modelos: hidrogeológico, optimización, y función multicriterio, que evalúa los resultados de los otros dos. La propuesta se aplica a un estudio del caso de un acuífero rural en Grecia, en el cual el agua subterránea es el único recurso disponible para una agricultura intensiva. El instrumento utilizado para la política de conservación es la asignación de cuotas. Los resultados muestran que unas cuotas diseñadas específicamente y repartidas espacialmente de manera no-uniforme pueden servir para alcanzar los objetivos diseñados

Combined use of groundwater simulation and multi-criteria analysis within a spatial decision-making framework for optimal allocation of irrigation water

In arid and semiarid areas in the world, including the Mediterranean region, groundwater has been widely and intensively used for irrigation over the last few decades. Practical as well as economic reasons make its use much more preferable, as compared to surface water, especially to individual farmers. Yet, this rapid and largely uncontrolled expansion in groundwater exploitation, which stimulated the socioeconomic development of numerous rural communities, has produced many negative impacts on aquifer degradation and environmental deterioration. The most common remedy to such problems is the application of specific groundwater management policies that can simultaneously meet socioeconomic and environmental protection goals. In this sense, the paper introduces a methodology for an optimal management of irrigation water, by specifically exploring the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of spatially allocated water conservation measures at the watershed level. The analysis is conducted by developing a multi-criteria decision-making framework, consisting of three distinct models: a hydrogeological, an optimization, and a multi-criteria one, which appraises the results of the other two. The proposed methodology is presented through a case study at a rural Greek watershed, in which groundwater is the sole water source for an intensively practiced agriculture. A system of water use quotas is the resource conservation policy instrument that is examined under a decision-making approach. Results show that some specifically designed and spatially non-uniform quota allocation schemes can meet in an optimum way the relevant criteria

A methodological framework for an easy and reliable estimation of the full cost of irrigation water

The requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60 for the full water cost recovery have brought reactions and difficulties to their implementation, especially for irrigation water. We propose a systematic and objective methodology for the estimation of the cost of irrigation water. The application is made in a degraded Greek watershed, considering surface and groundwater resources. The main novelties of this study are: (i) the attempt to combine different approaches for the estimation of the ‘resource cost’ of irrigation water, and (ii) the investigation of the potential interaction between resource and environmental cost in order to avoid the overestimation of the full cost of water. The analysis shows that both resource and environmental costs can be high in degraded areas, and water policy is likely to affect these costs. Therefore, further analysis is needed on possible water pricing policies for recovering the full cost of irrigation water. © 2020 CIWE

USING A MARKET-TYPE ALLOCATION SYSTEM TO CONFRONT WATER SCARCITY: AN INTER-DISTRICT APPROACH IN GREECE

This study examines the implication of a market-based system to allocate water regionally in one of the most intensively irrigated areas of Greece. The proposed approach combines elements from administrative allocation and tradable water rights in order to assess several water supply scenarios under growing water scarcity conditions. In this framework, irrigation water demand functions were derived by means of an optimization model that maximizes the expected annual net benefits from water use in agriculture. Then, an inter-district water market model is developed to compute the most effective water allocation at the basin-level. An institutional reform is suggested, that is linked with the creation of effective water users' associations. The aim of this reform is to achieve a functioning and low-cost trading system at the basin level. The results show that significant volumes of water would be traded under various deficit scenarios, mainly due to the spatial heterogeneity in water use and availability

Comparing Two Hydro-Economic Approaches for Multi-Objective Agricultural Water Resources Planning

Hydro-economic models are valuable tools that can be used in irrigated agriculture in order to improve the understanding of the status quo of water resources, the role of water in agriculture, and the system behavior under changing conditions. The present paper attempts to give insights on how different water management objectives and data availability may influence the specification/application of hydro-economic modeling, as well as the reliability and interpretation of their results. A Greek rural watershed located in Central Greece (Region of Thessaly) is used as a case study application. A common hydro-economic framework for sustainable water resources management in irrigated agriculture is examined, aiming to provide a simple and understandable tool for policymakers. In this framework two hydro-economic models (HEMs) were developed to address challenges regarding data limitations, spatial analysis, and scenario-based problems (e.g. agri-economic scenarios, water policy scenarios, environmental scenarios, etc.). A set of selection criteria was then used to qualitatively compare these two models, based on their advantages and disadvantages. The results of this analysis indicate that HEMs’ development must be quite flexible about their settings and must take into consideration the desired accuracy level that is likely to satisfy their main purpose/goal. The optimal approach is the one that can achieve a balance between simplicity, flexibility, accuracy and robustness. © 2020, Springer Nature B.V

A Survey on Factors Influencing Recycling Behavior for Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment in the Municipality of Volos, Greece

The status of waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling in a middle-sized industrialized city in Greece has been investigated, through the application of structured questionnaires to 310 citizens from the municipal units of Volos and Nea Ionia, asking for their habits and opinions on this kind of recycling. The underlying factors affecting the intention of these citizens to perform WEEE recycling were investigated, applying aspects of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Results show that there is an underperformance of WEEE recycling with 57% of the sample answering that they have never participated in WEEE recycling. A number of behavioral factors, based on TPB predictors, affect the intention of these citizens to participate in WEEE recycling schemes, namely total attitude, willingness to pay, information status regarding WEEE recycling and subjective norm. These findings may aid in improving marketing strategies for WEEE recycling of the general public. Investigation into pro-environmental incentives in Greece and in other countries with similar WEEE recycling management is urgently needed. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Investigation of factors affecting the trophic state of a shallow Mediterranean reconstructed lake

In this article, we focus on shallow sub-tropical lakes and study the factors that determine their trophic state and food web structure. We use the model PCLake to simulate lake nutrient dynamics and investigate key factors causing eutrophication, such as in-lake nutrient cycling, long residence time and low depths. Modeling results are validated in a reconstructed lake that is also used as a reservoir located in central Greece. Various operational scenarios and their effect on lake trophic state are explored. A climate change scenario is also presented, showcasing its influence on lake nutrient dynamics and food web structure. Our results confirm that lake residence time, lake depth and nutrient inflows are the factors that determine the lake trophic state, while climate change seems to slightly intensify the mechanisms that establish lake eutrophic conditions. © 2017 Elsevier B.V