Study and evaluation of irrigation and drainage networks using analytic hierarchy process in Khuzestan Province: A virtual water approach

Abstract

Considering the importance of virtual water in water management, the amount of virtual water was determined in the Shahid Rajae, Ramshir, and Hendijan irrigation and drainage networks. First, the water requirements of the crops were calculated using meteorological data of 10 years by CROPWAT software. Then, the virtual water of the networks was determined using crop yield. Also, the networks, according to the virtual water, were evaluated by questionnaire and analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The results showed that the virtual water of wheat in the Shahid Rajae, Ramshir and Hendijan irrigation and drainage networks were 7183.33, 7148.88 and 7501.11 (m3/year), respectively. The amount of virtual water of barley in the mentioned networks was obtained at 8033.33, 8252.78 and 8705.56 (m3/year), respectively and for sesame in Shahid Rajae irrigation and drainage network was 9836.28 (m3/year) and in Ramshir the number was 10,252.31 (m3/year). Comparison between the amounts of calculating data and the delivered water indicated that in Shahid Rajae, Ramshir and Hendijan irrigation and drainage networks, a more water usage percentage, against the actual need, of 31, 23 and 28 was used. The results of AHP and the ranking of mentioned networks, using Super Decisions software with the virtual water approach, showed that field factors in Shahid Rajae and Hendijan networks and climate factors had the most significant weight in Ramshir network. The economic factors were the least influential among them. Comparing the results of AHP and the computation of virtual water revealed that the Hendijan network ranked first place. Qualitative assessment of the operation of network utilization based on virtual water and water productivity warned that the mentioned networks were in undesirable conditions.