Agricultural Water Demand Research Articles

The conflicts of agricultural water supply and demand under climate change in a typical arid land watershed of Central Asia

Study Region. The Bosten Lake basin. Study Focus. The irrigated agriculture distributed in arid/semi-arid areas is of great significance for. food security and sustainable development. However, the shortage of water resources. limits agricultural development in these areas, and the water distribution pattern under. climate change is also uncertain. In this research, the Bosten Lake basin was selected. as the study area, and the monthly agricultural water supply (AWS) and demand. (AWD) in the historical and future periods were evaluated. New Hydrological Insights for the Region. Supported by the hydrological model and evapotranspiration model, the AWS and. AWD of the watershed were first evaluated, and 37 GCMs under CMIP6 were used to. expand the study to future periods, a novel downscaling scheme consisting of IDW and. BMA is used to increase the reliability of the results. The supply and demand of. agricultural water in the future scenarios within the region are revealed. In the. forthcoming future (the 2030 s), the watershed will maintain the warming and wetting. trend in the historical period. In the long-term future (the 2060 s), agricultural water. scarcity will become more severe, especially under the high emission scenario. (ssp585). The adaption strategies to address climate change have also been. proposed, and efficient water conveyance is highly recommended. This study is. expected to provide a reference for water resources management in arid/semi-arid. watersheds.

System Dynamics Approach for Water Resources Management: A Case Study from the Souss-Massa Basin

In several areas, many social, economic, and physical subsystems interact around water resources. Integrated water management is applied to maximize economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems, mainly in hydrologic-stressed areas. The Souss-Massa basin, with its semi-arid climate, has a significant demand for agricultural, industrial, tourism, and domestic water. It constitutes a complex system where the lack of knowledge of all the interacting subsystems has led to a shortage of water in quantity and quality. The objective of this study is to investigate the interactions between supply and demand at different stages using a System Dynamics (SD) approach. The model developed promotes a holistic understanding of the interactions between the different problem indicators that operate in water resources management in order to support decision-making action and successfully manage water resources at the Souss-Massa basin scale. The chosen performance indicator is based on the achievement of a baseline sustainability index (SI) defined as the ratio of available water to supply water that should be higher than 20% to avoid a water stress situation. The multisource data were gathered from different government agencies for the period spanning between 2007 and 2020. The results showed that the current policies do not lead to sustainable water management. Groundwater withdrawals have increased considerably, from 747 Mm3 in 2007 to 4884 Mm3 in 2020. The balance between water supply and demand is only reached for three years, 2010, 2015, and 2018, without ever reaching an SI of 20%. The sensitivity analysis showed that the sustainability of water resources in the Souss-Massa basin is mainly impacted by the availability of surface water, irrigated areas, and irrigation efficiency. This study will be of great interest to policymakers to provide optimal and sustainable water management strategies based on improved water use efficiency, and to contribute to the sustainable development agenda in arid and semi-arid regions.

From local knowledge to decision making in climate change adaptation at basin scale. Application to the Jucar River Basin, Spain

Climate change is challenging the conventional approaches for water systems planning. Two main approaches are commonly implemented in the design of climate change adaptation plans: impact-oriented top-down approaches and vulnerability-oriented bottom-up approaches. In order to overcome the shortcomings of both approaches and take advantage of their strengths, we propose an integrative methodology to define adaptation strategies at basin scale, identifying and combining potential changes in water demand and water supply infrastructure along with climate variability and change. The impact of climate change on future local water availability is assessed applying a top-down approach. Local knowledge is used through a participatory bottom-up approach to foresee future scenarios of evolution of the agricultural sector and agricultural water demand, and to identify locally relevant adaptation strategies. A hydroeconomic model integrates the information from both approaches to identify a socially acceptable and cost-effective program of measures for each climate scenario. This method was applied to the Jucar basin, a highly regulated basin with a tight equilibrium between water resources and demands. The results show an important variability of climate change impacts across the basin, with main inflow reductions in the headwaters. The stakeholders prioritized the adaptation options of change to drip irrigation, use of non-conventional resources, and changes in water governance. The results obtained from the hydroeconomic model show that the portfolio of selected adaptation measures could significantly reduce the system’s average annual deficit and cost.

Complex Policy Mixes are Needed to Cope with Agricultural Water Demands Under Climate Change

The divergence between agricultural water use and the annual supply of water resources (water gap) has been increasing for decades. The forecast is that this water gap will continue to widen, compromising the water security of a large share of the global population. On the one hand, the increase in demand is attributed to an ever-growing population that, in addition, is adopting a high-water consumption per capita lifestyle (e.g., meat-rich diet, increased use of biofuels and of irrigated agriculture). On the other hand, climate change is increasing aridification and the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of precipitation worldwide. The water gap is particularly acute in drylands, where development and food security has been based on the massive exploitation of water resources, particularly groundwater. Here we analyze the mechanisms underlying this water gap, which is mainly driven by water use in agriculture, and suggest suitable solutions that can help to close it. Using causal diagrams, we show how population generates different demands that create a water gap that prevailing supply-side solutions cannot close. Indeed, it has been widening over the years because water consumption has grown exponentially. This behaviour is explained by a series of mechanisms that it is necessary to understand to realize the complexity of water scarcity problems. For solving the water gap, we propose and exemplify eight lines of action that can be combined and tailored to each territory. Our analyses corroborate the urgent need to plan an integral management of water resources to avoid widespread scenarios of water scarcity under future climatic conditions.

Analysis of Demand and Structural Changes in China’s Water Resources over the Next 30 Years

The medium and long-term demand prediction for water resources is critical to the country’s macro-allocation of water resources and the formulation of a long-term regional economic development strategy. However, the official prediction report of China’s water resources was created ten years ago, and its results are far from accurate in practice making it difficult to direct China’s water resource planning in the coming ten years. By introducing the demand forecasting method for the first time, this study built a mathematical prediction model that integrates “data constraint + mathematical prediction + actuarial prediction”. The conclusions are as follows: (1) The new method developed in this research is more accurate than previous prediction methods and has a higher degree of matching with actual data. Despite the problem of trend extrapolation, this model can accurately understand the long-term trend. However, the amount of data must be calculated. (2) China’s consumption of total water, agricultural water, industrial water, domestic water, and ecological water will predict to be 552.9 billion m3, 319.1 billion m3, 95.7 billion m3, 95.5 billion m3 and 42.6 billion m3 in 2030, respectively, as well as 504.7 billion m3, 281.1 billion m3, 61.4 billion m3, 101.4 billion m3, and 60.8 billion m3 in 2050, respectively, indicating obvious structural changes. (3) China’s industrial structure evolves frequently; therefore, water resource forecasting must account for changes in industrial structure as well as geographical variances. In North China, agricultural water demand will fall, but ecological water investment will rise. The planning and distribution of the nation’s water resources will significantly be influenced theoretically and practically by the development of this methodology study. This method is universal and can be used for long-term prediction of future water demand in other countries.

Investigation of water allocation using integrated water resource management approaches in the Zayandehroud River basin, Iran

The Zayandehroud River is the largest river in the Gavkhouni basin, Iran. Water management in this basin is beset by poor water-allocation policies that do not adequately meet diverse demands (potable, agriculture, industry, and environmental demands). The Gavkhouni basin suffers from water scarcity and unmet water demands; especially with respect to environmental requirements. Water allocation considering appropriate priorities for all demands would be a major improvement for environmental protection in the Gavhouni basin. The application of the environmental flow in Integrated Water Resource Management offers practical options for water management in the Gavkhouni basin. Environmental flow describes the quantity, timing, and quality of water flow required to sustain freshwater, estuarine ecosystems, the human livelihoods, and well-being. A water resources management model is developed in this study for the purpose of improved water management in the Gavkhouni basin. The model involves six stages. The first stage implements a survey of resources and water use. The Environmental flow is calculated in the second stage with the hydraulic method and the Hydrologic Engineering Center- River Analysis System. The third stage applies the calculated environmental flow to the Integrated Water Resource Management approach by means of the Water Evaluation and Planning model. The fourth stage creates seven possible management scenarios in the Water Evaluation and Planning model to be applied in the period ending in the year 2041. These scenarios are ranked in the fifth stage with a multi-criteria decision-making method. The sixth stage applies the best management scenario in the study region. This study's results indicate that the annual drinking water demand under current conditions would rise from 547.6 to 760.2 Mm3 by 2041. The annual industrial water demand is estimated to increase from 213.7 to 400.5 Mm3, and the agricultural water demand is projected to remain constant at 1789.1 Mm3 per yr. The annual drinking water, environmental, industrial, and agricultural unmet demands are estimated to increase from 68.1, 106.5, 73.4, and 470 to 130.1, 186.1, 141.4, and 480 Mm3, respectively. The considered scenarios are (i) change in water supply priority, (ii) change in the population growth trend, (iii) change in return flow and water loss management utilization, (iv) change in the amount of water transferred to the Gavkhouni basin, (v) change of demand management (consumption per capita reduction), (vi) change of agricultural conditions, and (vii) change of industrial conditions. The change in water supply priority and the change in the volume of water transferred to the Gavkhouni basin scenarios are found to be of the highest priority. The best management alternative is chosen with four types of ranking (i.e., water allocation priorities) in which the ranking (i.e., drinking, Industrial, agricultural, environmental unmet water) and fourth ranking (i.e., environmental, drinking, industrial, agricultural Unmet water) are recommended as the best approach.

Study on the variation of NDVI, SAVI and EVI indices in Punjab State, India

India is a country where the agricultural economy plays a surreal role in the economic, as well as social development of the country. After the independence, various things changed in the field of agricultural development in which the green revolution played an important role in making Indian people self-sufficient in food production especially states like Punjab shows great potential in agricultural activities due to their geographical circumstances. In the last 35 years change in cropping patterns has increased the land area for agriculture causing a rise in water demand for agriculture. The focal objective of the present study is to estimate the variation in the value of NDVI, SAVI and EVI indices in Punjab State, India. The line graphs were plotted to represent the monthly variation in NDVI, EVI, and SAVI indices for all the selected regions and it was observed that in the Gurdaspur region huge variation in the selected indices from 2017 to 2018. ANOVA results indicated that these indices have varied significantly in Amritsar, Ferozepur and Hoshiarpur. and it was also noted that NDVI and SAVI have a positive correlation according to the Pearson correlation table. These results indicate the changing land use and cropping pattern which shows the diminishing and increasing agricultural land.

Advancing water footprint assessments: Combining the impacts of water pollution and scarcity

Several water footprint indicators have been developed to curb freshwater stress. Volumetric footprints support water allocation decisions and strive to increase water productivity in all sectors. In contrast, impact-oriented footprints are used to minimize the impacts of water use on human health, ecosystems, and freshwater resources. Efforts to combine both perspectives in a harmonized framework have been undertaken, but common challenges remain, such as pollution and ecosystems impacts modelling. To address these knowledge gaps, we build upon a water footprint assessment framework proposed at conceptual level to expand and operationalize relevant features. We propose two regionalized indicators, namely the water biodiversity footprint and the water resource footprint, that aggregate all impacts from toxic chemicals, nutrients, and water scarcity. The first impact indicator represents the impacts on freshwater ecosystems. The second one models the competition for freshwater resources and its consequences on freshwater availability. As part of the framework, we complement the two indicators with a sustainability assessment representing the levels above which ecological and human freshwater needs are no longer sustained. We test our approach assessing the sustainability of water use in the European Union in 2010. Water stress hampers 15 % of domestic, agricultural and industrial water demand, mainly due to irrigation and pesticide emissions in southern Europe. Moreover, damage to the freshwater ecosystems is widespread and mostly resulting from chemical emissions from industry. Approximately 5 % of the area is exceeding the regional sustainability limits for ecosystems and human water requirements altogether. Concerted efforts from all sectors are needed to reduce the impacts of emissions and water consumption under the sustainability limits. These advances are considered an important step toward the harmonization of volumetric and impact-oriented approaches to achieve consistent and holistic water footprinting as well as contributing to strengthen the policy relevance of water footprint assessments.

Abscisic acid agonists suitable for optimizing plant water use.

Climate change and overexploitation of groundwater resources cause constraints on water demand for agriculture, thus threatening crop productivity. For future food security, there is an urgent need for crops of high water use efficiency combined with high crop productivity, i.e. having high water productivity. Highwater productivity means efficient biomass accumulation at reduced transpiration. Recent studies show that plants are able to optimize carbon uptake per water transpired with little or no trade-off in yield. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a pivotal role in minimizing leaf transpiration and mediating enhanced water productivity. Hence, ABA and more chemically stable ABA agonists have the potential to improve crop water productivity. Synthesis, screening, and identification of suitable ABA agonists are major efforts currently undertaken. In this study, we used yeast expressing the plant ABA signal pathway to prescreen ABA-related cyano cyclopropyl compounds (CCPs). The yeast analysis allowed testing the ABA agonists for general toxicity, efficient uptake, and specificity in regulating different ABA receptor complexes. Subsequently, promising ABA-mimics were analyzed in vitro for ligand-receptor interaction complemented by physiological analyses. Several CCPs activated ABA signaling in yeast and plant cells. CCP1, CCP2, and CCP5 were by an order of magnitude more efficient than ABA in minimizing transpiration of Arabidopsis plants. In a progressive drought experiment, CCP2 mediated an increase in water use efficiency superior to ABA without trade-offs in biomass accumulation.

A Numerical Assessment and Prediction for Meeting the Demand for Agricultural Water and Sustainable Development in Irrigation Area

The demand for agricultural water is a growing problem in irrigated regions across the globe, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Changes in the level of groundwater in irrigation districts will affect the flow of surface water connected to the aquifer, which may damage the sustainability of water resources and ecosystems. In this study, a two-dimensional unsteady flow model based on MODFLOW was constructed and three scenarios were established to assess the demand for agricultural water in the Jiaokou Irrigation District. The results show that the groundwater in the study area is basically balanced. However, the supply of irrigation water for summer irrigation is insufficient. The results of the model prediction indicate that when groundwater is primarily used for irrigation (scenario 1), the maximum water level decrease is 25 m, which is beyond this limit (15 m). When the ratio of groundwater to surface water is 2:1 for irrigation (scenario 2), the largest decrease in water level is approximately 10 m. Scenario 3 is proposed based on the Hanjiang-to-Weihe River Valley Water Diversion Project to prevent the salinization of soil owing to the rise in water level, and its result shows that the maximum decrease and buried depth are approximately 5 m and above 3 m, respectively, indicating that the scenario is more reasonable and sustainable. These findings provide theoretical guidance to protect water resources and prevent water pollution and should serve as a reference for rationally allocating water resources in other irrigation districts in arid and semi-arid areas.

Multi-Site Calibration of Hydrological Model and Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Water Balance in a Monsoon Watershed

Understanding hydrological processes using hydrological model parameters can improve the management of water resources in a watershed. This research uses the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model in examining the water balance in the Yeongsan River Basin, South Korea. Summer monsoon dominates the region, accounting for about 60–70% of the rain between June to September. The basin is facing significant challenges in water management due to the limited availability of water and the high demand for agricultural water due to the construction of two weirs on the river. To this end, a new multi-site calibration approach-based SWAT hydrological model that can accurately reproduce the hydrological trend and average discharges of the Yeongsan basin for 42 years (1980–2021) was developed. Some statistical matrices (such as Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency) were utilized in calibrating and validating the model. Results show that the performance indicators for the four investigated stream flow stations were satisfactory. In addition, the water balance study revealed that the highest precipitation and evapotranspiration occurred in August, whereas the highest water yield, lateral flow, and surface flow occurred in July. Further, the model revealed that the Yeongsan river basin receives the majority of its water from the rains during the monsoon season. The model developed in this study can aid planners in managing water resources in the Yeongsan river basin.

Innovative Design of Wastewater Treatment Plant Based on TRIZ Theory

With the rapid development of society, the demand for water in agriculture and cities has increased, leading to a shortage of freshwater resources available in people's lives. Therefore, everyone must realize the importance of protecting water resources and saving water. Human life cannot live without water, but the available freshwater resources are very limited. In daily life, people install washing pools in kitchens, bathrooms, and other places, wash their hands in the sink, wash pots and pans, or wash fruits and vegetables. The treated water is discharged directly from the cleaning tank into the groundwater pipeline. If water can be recycled, it can not only save household water costs, but also save water resources. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out innovative design for wastewater treatment devices based on TRIZ theory in this paper to solve this problem.

Scenario-based model predictive control of water reservoir systems

The optimal operation of water reservoir systems is a challenging task involving multiple conflicting objectives. The main source of complexity is the presence of the water inflow, which acts as an exogenous, highly uncertain disturbance on the system. When model predictive control (MPC) is employed, the optimal water release is usually computed based on the (predicted) trajectory of the inflow. This choice may jeopardize the closed-loop performance when the actual inflow differs from its forecast. In this work, we consider - for the first time - a stochastic MPC approach for water reservoirs, in which the control is optimized based on a set of plausible future inflows directly generated from past data. Such a scenario-based MPC strategy allows the controller to be more cautious, counteracting droughty periods (e.g., the lake level going below the dry limit) while at the same time guaranteeing that the agricultural water demand is satisfied. The method's effectiveness is validated through extensive Monte Carlo tests using actual inflow data from Lake Como, Italy.

Analysis of Surface Water Availability to Meet Agricultural Water Demands in Kediri Regency, Indonesia

This study aims to analyze the potential of surface water to meet agricultural water needs in Kediri Regency, Indonesia. Data from government agencies (i.e., Indonesian Bureau of Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics and Kediri Agriculture Office) and fieldwork were analyzed to achieve the research objectives. The data obtained consisted of rainfall, temperature, infiltration capacity, soil texture, root depth, and agricultural land area. The potential of surface water resources was calculated by using the Thornthwaite–Mather water balance method. The water balance results were compared with agricultural water demands, which were calculated on the basis of the area of agricultural land and type of crop, particularly paddy fields. Critical and noncritical conditions for surface water resources were classified on the basis of the ratio between the availability of surface water resources and the demand for agricultural water. Results showed that the total surface water potential widely varied by season. The water balance calculation indicated that all subwatersheds (SWs) experienced a water surplus in the rainy season, whereas almost all SWs were deficient in surface water in the dry season, Overall, the surface water in Kediri was critical in the rainy season and more severely critical in the dry season. The results of this study indicated that the high demand for agricultural water can affect the availability of water resources in the tropics. The results are expected to be considered in determining regional planning related to the use and need of water resources and supporting infrastructures.

System dynamics modelling to simulate regional water-energy-food nexus combined with the society-economy-environment system in Hunan Province, China

Nexus approaches provide an efficient way to analyze the dynamic evolution of the water-energy-food nexus (WEFN), yet there is a need to close the science-policy divide by making simulation models more practically relevant. This study incorporates society, economy and environment systems (SEE) into the WEFN, simulating a broad environmental system. A system dynamics model is constructed to simulate and dynamically track the development of the WEF-SEE system in Hunan Province, China. The developed model is applied to assess WEF-SEE system trajectories from 2021 to 2035 against nine policy goals formulated by the Hunan Provincial Government. Baseline results suggest that Hunan Province will have a surplus of grain production and will be in a state of “self-sufficiency” in water resources. The energy security situation is not as optimistic, with imports being required to meet demand. The sustainable development of the WEF Nexus will be constrained by resource shortages. As the future development of Hunan Province outpaces environmental protection policies, water pollution and CO2 emissions and are expected to increase. Intra-system trade-offs and synergies under the impacts of different policies indicate that the implementation of an indicative policy has the intended impact within its particular subsystem, but may lead to trade-offs in other subsystems. Due to system interconnectedness, the simultaneous implementation of multiple policies may increase or hinder progress towards certain goals. For example, expanding planting area increases food production, but increase agricultural water demand and water pollutant discharge, counter to water security goal and environmental protection goals. Cross-system impacts must be considered when choosing policies. This study advances environmental system analysis and evaluation, and contributes to practical policy recommendations, providing useful insights for Hunan Province, especially considering potential trade-offs and synergies. Such information could lead to more effective, holistic environmental policy formulation.

Modelling land suitability to evaluate the potential for irrigated agriculture in the Nile region in Sudan

The Nile River serves as a central source of water for around 487 million people. Agriculture in the riparian states largely depends on the Nile's water supply due to irrigation. In this study, the potential for irrigated agriculture in Sudan is evaluated to estimate the future increase in water pressure in the region. In geographic information system (GIS) software a model for land suitability analysis (LSA) is developed. Datasets of parameters such as precipitation, temperature, slope, landcover, and selected soil properties represent the prevailing conditions. The resulting maps of the LSA show suitable and not suitable areas for irrigated agriculture. To determine the yearly water demand for irrigated agriculture the suitable areas are offset by the irrigation water demand for mixed cultivation of Faba beans, sorghum, and sugarcane calculated with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States (FAO) software AquaCrop. It shows that there is great potential for irrigated agriculture, especially in the southeast, where large irrigation schemes already exist. In northern Sudan, not suitable areas accumulate. The calculated irrigation water demand is 33.5 BCM/year, which is 19.5 BCM/year additionally compared to 2017. The estimated irrigation amount shows the importance of collaboration between the countries in the Nile basin to increase the water resources available for irrigation to avoid conflict over resources. The uncontrolled extension of irrigated agriculture in Sudan will increase the pressure on the already scarce water resources in Egypt.

Exploring the Sustainable Use Strategy of Scarce Water Resources for Rural Revitalization in Yanchi County from Arid Region of Northwest China

Water scarcity limits the coordination between economic development and ecological protection of arid regions. This study presented the consumption pattern and future challenges for water resources and proposed sustainable use strategies for water security in Yanchi county from the arid region of northwest China. Our results showed that water withdrawals were close to the total available water resources. Agriculture consumed about 84.72% of the total water supply. Agricultural water use was influenced by breeding stock, rural per capita net income and effective irrigation area. Estimation of agricultural water demand was about 6582.20 × 104 m3 under the rural revitalization scenario. Limited water supply and increased water demand pose challenges and impediments for rural revitalization and water security in Yanchi county. Water sustainable utilization can be achieved by increasing water supply from unconventional water resources and improving water use efficiency with governmental management. These findings may help policymakers to develop sustainable water use strategies during rural revitalization in arid regions.

An Optimization Scheme of Water Resources Allocation Based on the Particle Swarm Algorithm

Climate change will exacerbate water scarcity, as warmer temperatures will increase evaporation from soil and water surfaces, raising crop water requirements, and consumers’ demand for energy will increase at higher temperatures, with a concomitant increase in demand for cooling water. Therefore, water scarcity has evolved into a global issue, most notably in the Colorado Basin. As the climate changes, the future of the Colorado River becomes even more tragic. The river’s water levels are dropping year after year, while the water needs of the surrounding urban development are increasing, in what seems to be an endless cycle. At the same time, the entire southwestern United States may be in an unprecedented resource crisis as a result. Therefore, we have modeled water supply, demand, and allocation scenarios and constructed a water allocation model using the Colorado Basin water allocation as an example, combining Lake Mead, Lake Powell, and the agricultural, industrial, and residential demand for water and electricity in five states. To better achieve the optimal balance between the economy and the environment, we set three objectives: economic efficiency, regional surplus water, and total regional electricity generation, and solved the problem using a particle swarm algorithm. By solving the Colorado Basin water allocation problem, we explore a feasible solution with high generalization capability that can be applied in the future to scenarios of rational water allocation in multiple regions around the world.

Governance issues around agricultural land use and water demand for irrigation in the Vinces River basin (Ecuador)

Governance issues around agricultural land use and water demand for irrigation in the Vinces River basin (Ecuador)

The perspective of a smart city by endorsing the nexus Bermuda triangle with the risk assessment of polluted water reuse in integrated water and food security management: the case of Semnan, Iran

AbstractLocated in a semi-arid and arid zone, Iran is suffering from growing challenges of water scarcity. In the paradigm of a circular economy, the reuse of treated wastewater in agriculture is currently regarded as a possible solution for alleviating the issues of water scarcity and pollution. Accordingly, this research aims to assess the use of polluted water in the integrated management of water resources in Semnan. The research used the Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) software package to model and analyze the water sector. Also, the Bayesian network method was used to assess the risk of using polluted water and its effects on humans and plants. The research explored two general scenarios for the study site of Semnan. The first scenario assumes the increase in population, crops (food), and industries, and the second has the same assumptions plus an increase in agricultural efficiency (food production). Based on the results, the agricultural, urban, and industrial water demands are 37, 0.06, and 0.01 million m3 in the base year, respectively. The water demand in the next years will be higher due to population growth. Finally, it is safer to use the wastewater of both treatment plants of the region (Mehdishahr and Semnan) in the industry than in other sectors. Additionally, the wastewater of the Mehdishahr Sewage Treatment Plant is more reliable than that of the Semnan Sewage Treatment Plant.