Development of the Plan of Distribution of Surface Water Resources for River Basins of the North-Eastern Slope of the Lesser Caucasus

Abstract

The article is devoted to the development of a plan for distribution of surface water resources for river basins of the North-Eastern slope of the Lesser Caucasus within Azerbaijan in compliance with the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive. This is, in fact, the first such plan for the country’s river basins. Its main components are consisted of existing surface water resources, the quantity of environmental flow, water use indicators for drinking water supply and irrigation. Some of these components have been determined based on the data over the recent years, while others have been calculated using specific methods or estimated indirectly. The volume of environmental flow, as one of the priority components of the plan, had been determined in two different ways. Given that the water resources of the studied region are limited, the amount of environmental runoff was taken at 20% of the long-term annual runoff in water distribution plan. The main water user in the region is agriculture. Eleven water reservoirs have been built with the aim to achieve rational use of river runoff. Water losses in the irrigation systems of the region are at least 21%. The plan is designed both for the modern period and for 2035. It is shown that the water management balances of the studied river basins are characterized positively. However, if the extremely dry period of 2014–2020 is going to continue, the situation may worsen. A number of gaps were identified in the process of compiling the plan that affect the accuracy of evaluation of individual components. These gaps concern technical, legislative and institutional issues. It was noted that the approach used in this study could be used in other river basins of the country. It is also necessary to include groundwater resources and their use in water allocation plan.