Optimal water allocation through a multi-objective compromise between environmental, social, and economic preferences
TL;DR: The results of the model elucidate that the proposed model can allocate 83 percent of the Sefidrud Basin's water resources, to its stakeholders in a sustainable way while the environmental demand is satisfied.
Abstract: Raising water demands and insufficient freshwater resources are the main reasons of water conflicts in transboundary watersheds. Sustainable water allocation can be a resolution for water disputes as it addresses simultaneously economic, social and environmental benefits. In this paper, a multi-objective model is introduced, which leads to sustainable water allocation of transboundary watersheds taking into account all these three aspects. Five water allocation objectives are proposed for this model in which three of them address the social factors and others represent the economic and environmental preferences. The Compromise Programming technique is employed to solve the applied model to the Sefidrud Basin, Iran and several water allocation schemes are provided based on various weights combinations. The results of the model elucidate that the proposed model can allocate 83 percent of the Basin's water resources, to its stakeholders in a sustainable way while the environmental demand is satisfied. Sustainable water allocation requires the triple bottom line approach.Proposed multi-objective model covers economic, social, and environmental aspects.Our model focuses on water allocation of shared basins with competing stakeholders.We analysed the sensitivity of stakeholders to the objectives' weights.We applied the model to a real cases study to demonstrate its applicability.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: In this article, a multi-objective programming model is built with the first objective being to maximize the economic benefit efficiency to allow for the development of improved water allocation strategies and with the second objective being the water allocation equity (measured using the Gini coefficient).
Abstract: Because of the significant impact on economic development, social stability, and ecological balance, the allocation of water resources has become an issue of worldwide concern. Therefore, the efficient, equitable, and sustainable allocation of water is vital for water management authorities. With sustainability (guaranteeing the minimum ecological water needs) as the constraint, the paper aims to enhance the water management by considering equity and efficiency. A multi-objective programming model is built with the first objective being to maximize the economic benefit efficiency to allow for the development of improved water allocation strategies and with the second objective being to maximize water allocation equity (measured using the Gini coefficient). A Compromise Programming (CP) method is employed to trade off economic benefit efficiency and equity in the water allocation, which can provide relatively flexible choices and trade-offs according to the decision makers’ preferences. The presented model is applied to the Qujiang river basin in China as a case study to demonstrate its feasibility, validity, and practicality, the results from which indicate the trade-off between equity and economic benefit efficiency in the model was feasible, and the conclusions are that river basin authorities need to take measures to decrease the rate of water loss and increase the available water to enhance water allocation efficiency and equity.
99 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a multi-objective model involving water allocation equality and economic efficiency risk control is developed to help water managers mitigate these problems, and a case study demonstrates the practicability and rationality of the developed model, allowing the river basin authority to determine water allocation strategies for a single river basin.
86 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an integrated modeling framework was proposed to dynamically evaluate and predict the water balance and water resources carrying capacity in a continental river basin of Northwest China by coupling the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), water resources supply and consumption model, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE).
71 citations
TL;DR: This study presents a new fuzzy-based multi-objective compromise methodology to determine the socio-optimal and sustainable policies for hydro-environmental management of groundwater resources, which simultaneously considers the conflicts and negotiation of involved stakeholders, uncertainties in decision makers' preferences, existing uncertainties in the groundwater parameters and groundwater quality and quantity issues.
53 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reviewed 95 studies applying hydro-economic models and documented how the environment is represented in them and the methods they use to value environmental costs and benefits, and found that representation of environmental values of water is patchy in most applications, and there should be systematic consideration of the scope of environmental value to include and how they should be valued.
45 citations
References
More filters
TL;DR: The features of IA are summarized and the role for models and information systems as a prime activity are argued and the importance of IA as a process, not just as a set of outcomes, is stressed.
Abstract: To meet the challenges of sustainability and catchment management requires an approach that assesses resource usage options and environmental impacts integratively. Assessment must be able to integrate several dimensions: the consideration of multiple issues and stakeholders, the key disciplines within and between the human and natural sciences, multiple scales of system behaviour, cascading effects both spatially and temporally, models of the different system components, and multiple databases. Integrated assessment (IA) is an emerging discipline and process that attempts to address the demands of decision makers for management that has ecological, social and economic values and considerations. This paper summarises the features of IA and argues the role for models and information systems as a prime activity. Given the complex nature of IA problems, the broad objectives of IA modelling should be to understand the directions and magnitudes of change in relation to management interventions so as to be able to differentiate between associated outcome sets. Central to this broad objective is the need for improved techniques of uncertainty and sensitivity analysis that can provide a measure of confidence in the ability to differentiate between different decisions. Three examples of problems treated with an IA approach are presented. The variations in the way that the different dimensions are integrated in the modelling are discussed to highlight the sorts of choices that can be made in model construction. The conclusions stress the importance of IA as a process, not just as a set of outcomes, and define some of the deficiencies to be overcome.
433 citations
TL;DR: A new method for solving non-commensurable multiobjective functions, namely, the surrogate worth trade off method, is developed and successfully solved via the Reid and Vemuri multi objective problem in water resources.
Abstract: The problem of noncommensurable multiobjective functions in water resource systems is discussed. Potential strategies in multiobjective decision theory are summarized. A new method for solving non-commensurable multiobjective functions, namely, the surrogate worth trade off method, is developed. Procedures for the derivation of the trade off functions and the surrogate worth functions are developed and analyzed. Major characteristics and advantages of the surrogate worth trade off method are summarized. In particular, the trade off and surrogate worth functions are constructed in the functional space, where an interaction with the decision maker takes place, and only then these functions are transformed into the decision space. The Reid and Vemuri multiobjective problem in water resources has been chosen as an example and was successfully solved via the surrogate worth trade off method.
341 citations
TL;DR: Water Resources Systems Management Under Uncertainty - a Fuzzy set approach as mentioned in this paper is a fuzzy set approach for water resource management under uncertainty in the context of sustainable development and water for our children.
Abstract: Preface Foreword Introduction Part I: Setting the Stage 1. An Overview 2. Changing Water Resources Management Practice 3. An Introduction to Water Resources Systems Management Part II: Applied Systems Analysis 4. General Systems Theory Part III: Water Resources Systems Management 5. Introduction to Methods of Water Resources Systems Management 6. Water Resources Systems Management Under Uncertainty - a Fuzzy Set Approach 7. Water Resources Systems Management for Sustainable Development Part IV: Implementation of Water Resources Systems Management Tools 8. Simulation 9. Optimization 10. Multi-objective Analysis Part V: Water for Our Children 11. The Future of Water Resources Systems Management Index
182 citations
TL;DR: An attempt to put into practice the multicriteria decision making technique of compromise programming for a real urban water management case study in the city of Zahidan in Iran reveals that the method is capable of being employed by decision-makers for comprehensive urbanWater management studies.
Abstract: Presented herein is an attempt to put into practice the multicriteria decision making technique of compromise programming for a real urban water management case study in the city of Zahidan in Iran. Zahidan, the capital of Sistan and Balouchistan Province, faces serious water problems in terms of both quality and quantity. To satisfy future water demands, a long-distance water transmission project is being implemented. Compromise programming is applied to aiding decision makers in selecting the best possible alternatives for distribution of both available and the transmitted water in the city. The results obtained reveal that the method is capable of being employed by decision-makers for comprehensive urban water management studies.
158 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an integrated hydrologic-economic modeling framework for optimizing conjunctive use of surface and groundwater at the river basin scale is presented, where the use of an economic objective function, maximizing the net economic value of water use, provides solutions that optimize economic efficiency in water resources management.
Abstract: This paper presents an integrated hydrologic-economic modeling framework for optimizing conjunctive use of surface and groundwater at the river basin scale. Integrated river basin modeling with distributed groundwater simulation and dynamic stream-aquifer interaction allows a more realistic representation of conjunctive use and the associated economic results. The use of an economic objective function, maximizing the net economic value of water use, provides solutions that optimize economic efficiency in water resources management. Constraints guarantee the feasibility and sustainability of suggested operations. A nonlinear optimization model is presented for the Adra River Basin system (Spain). Model results suggest a variety of water management and operation strategies and indicate where significant the economic benefits can be obtained through capacity expansion. A procedure allowing a systematic assessment of the economic indicators required by the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is provided....
156 citations