Minimization of Water Use Conflicts in Kunthipuzha River Basin by Use of Water Allocation Tool

Abstract

Water scarcity and consequent droughts are of serious concern for almost all countries around the world. Since climate change is expected to exacerbate the already existing water stresses, the improvement of water efficiency against water scarcity and drought is very much important. The water stressed areas within the Kunthipuzha river basin were identified by allocating the available water for various demands using the WEAP model. This study aims at suggesting some Best Management Practices (BMPs) for those water stressed areas so as to minimize the water scarcity problems. To contribute towards this goal, Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model is used, which is a decision support system (DSS) to assess water availability and investigate the impacts of different water allocation scenarios (water demand management strategies) aimed at meeting various sectorial water demands. The results from the study revealed that the implementation of BMP’s like improving the irrigation efficiency, changing of planting date, changing of crops etc. could bring in significant reduction in water scarcity problems in the identified hotspots. Moreover, in certain sub basins it was found that it would be possible to completely eliminate water scarcity by implementing combinations of BMPs. Thus, such studies done in an extensive manner will help in finding a balance between what is needed and what is available within the environment which in turn serves as an important step in achieving water resource sustainability.