Integrated management of water resources in agriculture, drinking and industry using WEAP software (Case study: Qom province)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Forests and Rangelands Research Department, Qom Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Qom, Iran

2 Department of Irrigation and Reclamation Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

Abstract

In the conditions of water shortage due to successive droughts or population growth, the management of limited water resources is necessary to increase their efficiency and optimal use, and the management patterns and allocation of water to different sectors should be reviewed. In this research, the water resources evaluation and programming system (WEAP) was used to manage, optimize and simulate water resources in Qom province. The model based on water supply and demand nodes including: urban drinking needs and agricultural irrigation needs as demand nodes and rivers and underground resources as supply nodes for a period of 20 years (2020 to 2039) was designed and implemented. Based on this, four scenarios were defined. The results showed that the policies of the two main management components, i.e. reducing water consumption in the agricultural sector at an annual  rate of two percent and wastewater treatment at an annual  rate of one percent, in addition to meeting the water demand of the province, are able to increase the underground water table at one percent annually. With the implementation of management scenario policies of level "3" at the end of the vision period, water consumption in the agricultural sector has decreased by 50% without reducing the cultivated area or yield, and the efficiency of water consumption has increased by the same amount.  And the aquifer of the province will be restored by 20%. If the current situation (reference scenario) is followed, due to the natural increase in water demand due to the growth of population and industry, even with the upcoming rainy periods, there will be a deficit of about 40% in renewable water resources.

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IntroductionThere are many evidences that water resources in many parts of Iran are not in good condition. Economic growth and population increase have caused an increase in the demand for water. On the other hand, the volume of available water is constant and has already been allocated in most regions of the country. The occurrence of successive droughts has made the situation of water resources more critical. One of the most important problems of Qom province is that it is located at the end of the watershed. The implementation of dam construction projects has caused two main rivers (Qarachai and Qomrud) to dry up, which were almost permanent in the past. This shows the necessity of using new technologies in the process of water distribution and purification, improving the infrastructure of water sources, etc. In this region, the integrated management of water resources that takes into account the long-term development of the hydrosystem is important. Materials and methodsIn this research, the water assessment and programming model (WEAP) was use for the allocation, management and simulation of water resources. The design of a WEAP model is based on water supply and demand nodes.  2014 was considered as the blue base year. According to the objectives of the research, four scenarios were defined for the period from 2020 to 2039. Reference scenario: extraction of underground resources only as much as renewable water resources, two percent annual growth of population, industrial units and animal husbandry and changes in river flow based on the pessimistic scenario of climate change. Level 1 management scenario: All the defaults of the reference scenario, in addition to a gradual reduction (two percent annually) of water demand in agriculture, with the perspective of a 50 percent reduction in agricultural water consumption in 2039. Management scenario level 2: All the assumptions of the management scenario level "1" in addition to staggered savings in the urban and industrial sector (one percent per year) with the perspective of a 20 percent reduction in consumption in this sector in 2039. Management scenario level 3: All the assumptions of the management scenario level "2" in addition to the reuse of urban and industrial wastewater (creating a treatment plant). In the WEAP environment, four points of urban, industrial, agricultural and animal husbandry needs were created, respectively, with water supply priority 1 to 4.  Results and discussionIn the agricultural and industrial sector of Qom province, the appropriate management models of this sector were explained to increase the efficiency of water consumption under several management scenarios. In the reference scenario, renewable water sources are able to provide 100% of the province's water demand in the cold months of the year. But in hot months, a sharp decrease in coverage percentage is observed. This reduction is greater for agriculture and animal husbandry due to the greater need and priority 3 in modeling. The coverage percentage of the agriculture and animal husbandry sector reaches nearly 60% in the months of August and September. Under this scenario, both urban and industrial sectors are associated with a drop in coverage percentage in some months.  Based on the allocation of water based on the policies of the "3" level management scenario, The sum of the two main factors of reducing the annual agricultural water demand at a rate of 2.5% and establishing a water treatment plant with an annual growth of 1%, by providing a part of the agricultural demand, is able to meet the province's water demand completely from renewable sources.  Conclusion and suggestionsThe findings of the WEAP water allocation model showed that following the policies of the two main management components, i.e. reducing water consumption in the agricultural sector at an annual rate of two percent and treating urban and industrial wastewater to cover part of the need with an annual growth rate of one percent. In addition to providing the province's total water demand from renewable sources, it is capable of reviving underground water tables with an annual growth rate of one percent. In other words, if the policies of the level 3 management scenario are followed, At the end of the vision period (2039 AD), water consumption in the agricultural sector (without reducing the cultivated area or crop yield) has decreased by 50% and the efficiency of water consumption has increased by the same amount. Also, the aquifer of the province will be restored by 20%.

Author Contributions

All authors contributed equally to the conceptualization of the article and writing of the original and subsequent drafts.

Data Availability Statement

Data available on request from the authors.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all participants of the present study.

Ethical considerations

The authors avoided data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and misconduct.

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

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Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research
Volume 55, Issue 11
January 2025
Pages 2001-2015

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