Irrigation versus hydropower: sectoral conflicts in southern Sri Lanka

Water Policy ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (S1) ◽  
pp. 37-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Molle ◽  
Priyantha Jayakody ◽  
Ranjith Ariyaratne ◽  
H. S. Somatilake
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Economic Efficiency ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Hydropower Generation ◽  
Political Constraints ◽  
High Level

Although hydropower does not directly consume water, its generation frequently conflicts with other uses, notably irrigation, because its release schedule does not always correspond to the timing of water use by other activities. This article analyses a case from the Walawe river basin, Sri Lanka, where economic efficiency can be raised by reducing releases from the dam for irrigation for the benefit of hydropower generation. The tradeoff is analysed in financial and managerial terms and different options for reducing irrigation diversions are reviewed. Although the high level of current diversions for irrigation warrants the possibility of improvement in management, it is shown that finding ways to reduce supply faces technical and socio-political constraints that make the realization of economic benefits costly and difficult.

scholarly journals Optimal operation of a multipurpose multireservoir system in the Eastern Nile River Basin

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 1895-1908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Goor ◽  
C. Halleux ◽  
Y. Mohamed ◽  
A. Tilmant
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Optimal Operation ◽  
Nile River ◽  
Hydropower Generation ◽  
Blue Nile ◽  
High Aswan Dam ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
Aswan Dam ◽  
Nile River Basin

Abstract. The upper Blue Nile River Basin in Ethiopia is a largely untapped resource despite its huge potential for hydropower generation and irrigated agriculture. Controversies exist as to whether the numerous infrastructural development projects that are on the drawing board in Ethiopia will generate positive or negative externalities downstream in Sudan and Egypt. This study attempts at (1) examining the (re-)operation of infrastructures, in particular the proposed reservoirs in Ethiopia and the High Aswan Dam and (2) assessing the economic benefits and costs associated with the storage infrastructures in Ethiopia and their spatial and temporal distribution. To achieve this, a basin-wide integrated hydro-economic model has been developed. The model integrates essential hydrologic, economic and institutional components of the river basin in order to explore both the hydrologic and economic consequences of various policy options and planned infrastructural projects. Unlike most of the deterministic economic-hydrologic models reported in the literature, a stochastic programming formulation has been adopted in order to: (i) understand the effect of the hydrologic uncertainty on management decisions, (ii) determine allocation policies that naturally hedge against the hydrological risk, and (iii) assess the relevant risk indicators. The study reveals that the development of four mega dams in the upper part of the Blue Nile Basin would change the drawdown refill cycle of the High Aswan Dam. Should the operation of the reservoirs be coordinated, they would enable an average annual saving of at least 2.5 billion m3 through reduced evaporation losses from the Lake Nasser. Moreover, the new reservoirs (Karadobi, Beko-Abo, Mandaya and Border) in Ethiopia would have significant positive impacts on hydropower generation and irrigation in Ethiopia and Sudan: at the basin scale, the annual energy generation is boosted by 38.5 TWh amongst which 14.2 TWh due to storage. Moreover, the regulation capacity of the above mentioned reservoirs would enable an increase of the Sudanese irrigated area by 5.5%.

scholarly journals Optimal operation of a multipurpose multireservoir system in the Eastern Nile River Basin

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 4331-4369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Goor ◽  
C. Halleux ◽  
Y. Mohamed ◽  
A. Tilmant
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Optimal Operation ◽  
Nile River ◽  
Hydropower Generation ◽  
Blue Nile ◽  
High Aswan Dam ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
Aswan Dam ◽  
Nile River Basin

Abstract. The upper Blue Nile River Basin in Ethiopia is a largely untapped resource despite its huge potential for hydropower generation and irrigated agriculture. Controversies exist as to whether the numerous infrastructural development projects that are on the drawing board in Ethiopia will generate positive or negative externalities downstream in Sudan and Egypt. This study attempts at 1) examining the (re-)operation of infrastructures, in particular the proposed reservoirs in Ethiopia and the High Aswan Dam and 2) assessing the economic benefits and costs associated with the storage infrastructures in Ethiopia and their spatial and temporal distribution. To achieve this, a basin-wide integrated hydro-economic model has been developed. The model integrates essential hydrologic, economic and institutional components of the river basin in order to explore both the hydrologic and economic consequences of various policy options and planned infrastructural projects. Unlike most of the deterministic economic-hydrologic models reported in the literature, a stochastic programming formulation has been adopted in order to: i) understand the effect of the hydrologic uncertainty on management decisions, ii) determine allocation policies that naturally hedge against the hydrological risk, and iii) assess the relevant risk indicators. The study reveals that the development of four mega dams in the upper part of the Blue Nile Basin would change the drawdown refill cycle of the High Aswan Dam. Should the operation of the reservoirs be coordinated, they would enable an average annual saving of at least 2.5 billion m3 through reduced evaporation losses from the Lake Nasser. Moreover, the new reservoirs (Karadobi, Beko-Abo, Mandaya and Border) in Ethiopia would have significant positive impacts on hydropower generation and irrigation in Ethiopia and Sudan: at the basin scale, the annual energy generation is boosted by 38.5 TWh amongst which 14.2 TWh due to storage. Moreover, the regulation capacity of the above mentioned reservoirs would enable an increase of the Sudanese irrigated area by 5.5%.

scholarly journals Application of an Interval Two-Stage Robust (ITSR) Optimization Model for Optimization of Water Resource Distribution in the Yinma River Basin, Jilin Province, China

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2910
Author(s):  
Wei He ◽  
Luze Yang ◽  
Minghao Li ◽  
Chong Meng ◽  
Yu Li
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Optimization Model ◽  
Resource Distribution ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Two Stage

The present study is based on the application of an interval two-stage stochastic programming (ITSP) model in the Yinma River Basin. A robust method based on interval two-stage robust (ITSR) optimization is introduced to construct an optimization model of water resource distribution in order to solve the problems of water shortage in low-income and high-income areas caused by the unreasonable distribution of water resources. The model would help in reducing the system risk in the Yinma River Basin caused by an excessive pursuit of economic benefits. The model simulations show that the amount of water required for the water resource distribution is significantly reduced after balancing the risks and the water resource distribution of the water use departments is reduced by up to 20%. In addition, the situation of water scarcity of various water use departments shows a decreasing trend. There is no scarcity of water use in Panshi, Yongji, Shuangyang and Jiutai areas. The water shortage of water use departments in other areas is reduced by up to 97%. The allocation of reused water to ecological and environmental departments with higher water demand further solved the water shortage problem in low-income departments in the interval-two-stage planning model. In this study, after the introduction of the robust optimization method in the Yinma River Basin, the stability of the water resources distribution system is significantly improved. In addition, the risk of water use system in the interval-two-stage stochastic model can be avoided.

scholarly journals Agro-Economic Water Productivity-Based Hydro-Economic Modeling for Optimal Irrigation and Crop Pattern Planning in the Zarrine River Basin, Iran, in the Wake of Climate Change.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzad Emami ◽  
Manfred Koch
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Hydrologic Model ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Crop Water ◽  
Agricultural Water Use

For water-stressed regions like Iran improving the effectiveness and productivity of agricultural water-use is of utmost importance due to climate change and unsustainable demands. Therefore, a hydro-economic model has been developed here for the Zarrine River Basin with the central concept of that demands are value-sensitive functions, where quantities of water-uses at different locations and times have a changeable economic benefits. To do this, the potential crop yields and the surface and groundwater resources, especially Boukan Dam inflow are simulated using the hydrologic model, SWAT, based on predicted climatic scenarios i.e. quantile mapping-downscaled projections. Then, to allocate the agricultural water based on the agro- economic crop water productivity (AEWP) of crops, a basin-wide water management tool, MODSIM, is customized. Next, a simulation- optimization model has been developed using a coupled CSPSO-MODSIM, to optimize the total AEWP, considering climatic impact and crop pattern scenarios, for 2020-2038, 2050-2068 and 2080-2098 periods. Finally, the optimum crop pattern and crop water irrigation depths are presented for different RCPs and periods. The results indicated that this approach will improve considerably the AEWPs and decrease the agricultural water-use up to 40%. Thus, this integrated model is able to support water authorities and other stakeholder in a water-scarce basin, as is the study area.

HOUSEHOLD WATER BALANCE AND ASSESSMENT OF WATER VOLUME FOR IRRIGATION IN AGRO LANDSCAPES OF THE KYZYLSU-YUZHNAYA BASIN

2020 ◽  
pp. 102-109
Author(s):  
D.KH. DOMULLODZHANOV ◽  
◽  
R. RAHMATILLOEV
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Storage Systems ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Land Productivity ◽  
Household Water ◽  
And Storage

The article presents the results of the field studies and observations that carried out on the territory of the hilly, low-mountain and foothill agro landscapes of the Kyzylsu-yuzhnaya (Kyzylsu-Southern) River Basin of Tajikistan. Taking into account the high-altitude location of households and the amount of precipitation in the river basin, the annual volumes of water accumulated with the use of low-cost systems of collection and storage of precipitation have been clarified. The amount of water accumulated in the precipitation collection and storage systems has been established, the volume of water used for communal and domestic needs,the watering of livestock and the amount of water that can be used to irrigate crops in the have been determined. Possible areas of irrigation of household plots depending on the different availability of precipitation have been determined. It has been established that in wet years (with precipitation of about 10%) the amount of water collected using drip irrigation will be sufficient for irrigation of 0.13 hectares, and in dry years (with 90% of precipitation) it will be possible to irrigate only 0.03 ha of the household plot. On the basis of the basin, the total area of irrigation in wet years can be 4497 ha, and in dry years only 1087 ha. Taking into account the forecasts of population growth by 2030 and an increase in the number of households, the total area of irrigation of farmlands in wet years may reach 5703 hectares,and in dry years – 1379 hectares. Growing crops on household plots under irrigation contributes to a significant increase in land productivity and increases the efficiency of water use of the Kyzylsu-yuzhnaya basin.

EVALUATION OF IMPACT ON WATER USE CAUSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE IN SOLO RIVER BASIN, INDONESIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. I_121-I_126
Author(s):  
Hitoshi UMINO ◽  
Maksym GUSYEV ◽  
Akira HASEGAWA ◽  
Yoji CHIDA
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Use

scholarly journals The application of environmental governance for sustainable watershed-based management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seiichi Kagaya ◽  
Tetsuya Wada
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Watershed Management ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Flood Control ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Environment Assessment ◽  
Control Water

AbstractIn recent years, it has become popular for some of countries and regions to adapt the system of governance to varied and complex issues concerned with regional development and the environment. Watershed management is possibly the best example of this. It involves flood control, water use management and river environment simultaneously. Therefore, comprehensive watershed-based management should be aimed at balancing those aims. The objectives of this study are to introduce the notion of environmental governance into the planning process, to establish a method for assessing the alternatives and to develop a procedure for determining the most appropriate plan for environmental governance. The planning process here is based on strategic environment assessment (SEA). To verify the hypothetical approach, the middle river basin in the Tokachi River, Japan was selected as a case study. In practice, after workshop discussions, it was found to have the appropriate degree of consensus based on the balance of flood control and environmental protection in the watershed.

scholarly journals Optimal Allocation of Surface Water Resources at the Provincial Level in the Uzbekistan Region of the Amudarya River Basin

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1446
Author(s):  
Min Wang ◽  
Xi Chen ◽  
Ayetiguli Sidike ◽  
Liangzhong Cao ◽  
Philippe DeMaeyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Water Allocation ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Optimal Allocation ◽  
Probability Distributions ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Aral Sea ◽  
Incoming Flow ◽  
Provincial Level ◽  
Water Users

Water users in the Amudarya River Basin in Uzbekistan are suffering severe water use competition and uneven water allocation, which seriously threatens ecosystems, as shown, for example, in the well-known Aral Sea catastrophe. This study explores the optimized water allocation schemes in the study area at the provincial level under different incoming flow levels, based on the current water distribution quotas among riparian nations, which are usually ignored in related research. The optimization model of the inexact two-stage stochastic programming method is used, which is characterized by probability distributions and interval values. Results show that (1) water allocation is redistributed among five different sectors. Livestock, industrial, and municipality have the highest water allocation priority, and water competition mainly exists in the other two sectors of irrigation and ecology; (2) water allocation is redistributed among six different provinces, and allocated water only in Bukhara and Khorezm can satisfy the upper bound of water demand; (3) the ecological sector can receive a guaranteed water allocation of 8.237–12.354 km3; (4) under high incoming flow level, compared with the actual water distribution, the total allocated water of four sectors (except for ecology) is reduced by 3.706 km3 and total economic benefits are increased by USD 3.885B.

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