Abstract
A large-scale hydrological model (MIKE HYDRO) was established for the purpose of sustainable agricultural water management in the main stem Tarim River, located in northwest China. In this arid region, agricultural water consumption and allocation management are crucial to address the conflicts among irrigation water users from upstream to downstream. The results of model calibration indicated a close correlation between simulated and observed values. Scenarios with the change on irrigation strategies and land use distributions were investigated. Irrigation scenarios revealed that the available irrigation water has significant and varying effects on the yields of different crops. Irrigation water saving could reach up to 40% in the water-saving irrigation scenario. Land use scenarios illustrated that an increase of farmland area in the lower reach gravely aggravated the water deficit, while a decrease of farmland in the upper reaches resulted in considerable benefits for all sub-catchments. A substitution of crops was also investigated, which demonstrated the potential for saving considerable amounts of irrigation water in upper and middle reaches. Overall, the results of this study provide a scientific basis for decision-making on agricultural water consumption and allocation in the study area.
Highlights
Water scarcity is expected to increase in the dry regions of Asia [1]
This study aims to simulate the possible effects of irrigation and land use scenarios in water savings for the main stem of the Tarim River
While ETa refers to the upward loss of water by the vegetated surface, deep percolation (DP) is defined as the downward movement of water through the soil profile beyond the root zone
Summary
Water scarcity is expected to increase in the dry regions of Asia [1]. Increasing population and farming practices will increase the stress on water resources in these arid regions. The needs of natural ecosystems have become another source of competition that increases pressure on water resources in the future [2]. The management of irrigation water use continues to pose increasing challenges to decision-makers and planners in developing countries, those facing limited water resources. With the high-intensity and large-scale exploitation of water resources at the upper reaches of the Tarim River, the water curtailment downstream has brought great negative effects for the ecosystem in the Tarim River basin [3,4]
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