Integrated Water Resources Management Strategy Research Articles

Effects of climate variability and/or land use dynamics on the hydrological balance of the Cavally river catchment at Toulepleu, West Africa

Abstract The study focuses on assessing the individual and combined impacts of climate variability and land use change on hydrological responses. The results indicate that the basin, urban area, cropland, degraded forest, and open forest shows an increasing trend, while gallery forest show a decreasing trend over the period 1992–2015. Climatic variability is marked by two climatic periods (a wet one from 1980 to 1996 and a dry one from 1997 to 2016) with a 35% decrease in rainfall. Regardless of the state of the landcover used, the simulated mean annual runoff decreases by 67.92% between the wet and dry climate periods. Changes in land use between 1992 and 2015 reduce mean annual runoff by 4.71%. Analysis of the joint effect of climatic and LU variation shows a 68.96% reduction in runoff. In this catchment, the joint impact has a clearly greater effect on runoff than the climatic impact, which is greater than that of human activities. There is a need for policymakers to prioritise sustainable land use practices and integrated water resource management strategies in the area to mitigate the combined effects of climate variability and anthropogenic activities, ensuring the long-term resilience of the ecosystem and water availability for local communities.

Calculation of the SPI, SPEI, and GRDI Indices for Historical Climatic Data from Doñana National Park: Forecasting Climatic Series (2030–2059) Using Two Climatic Scenarios RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 by IPCC

In this study, we utilized three different indices to assess drought conditions in the Doñana National Park (DNP) located in southern Spain. These indices included the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), which is based on precipitation statistics, the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), which incorporates both precipitation and air temperature data, and the Groundwater Recharge Drought Index (GRDI), a newly developed index specifically designed to evaluate groundwater drought. The analysis covered the time period from 1985 to 2015, and future projections were made for the years 2030–2060 under different climate scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5). Our findings revealed a significant decrease in total precipitation of approximately 13–14% compared to historical records (1985–2015). Moreover, severely to extremely wet periods exhibited a reduction ranging from 25% to 38%. A key contribution of this study is the application of the GRDI index, which allowed us to assess groundwater recharge rates. We observed a decline in the simulated mean recharge rates during the 21st century when compared to the historical period spanning from 1950 to 2009. This decline can be attributed to increased evapotranspiration. The results of this research provide valuable insights for the Spanish water resources administration. The observed reductions in precipitation and groundwater recharge rates emphasize the need for appropriate mitigation measures. The findings will aid the administration in formulating an integrated water resources management strategy in the Doñana National Park and its surrounding basin. By understanding the projected changes in drought conditions, the administration can make informed decisions to ensure sustainable water resource management in the region.

Contribution of Integrated Water Resource Management Strategies on Conservation of Lower River Yala Basin, Siaya County, Kenya

Contribution of Integrated Water Resource Management Strategies on Conservation of Lower River Yala Basin, Siaya County, Kenya

Shallow urban aquifers under hyper-recharge equatorial conditions and strong anthropogenic constrains. Implications in terms of groundwater resources potential and integrated water resources management strategies

Humid equatorial regions are recognized as the least documented in term of hydrogeological functioning of aquifers despite the fact that they house a lot of developing countries and that groundwater is often the main water resource. Regarding this aspect, a study was conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on the Mio-Pliocene aquifer in Douala megacity (Cameroon) which is the rainiest city in West-Africa (about 4000 mm/year) with one of the greatest demographic growth rate of the African continent. Firstly, groundwater recharge rate has been calculated through water balance and Water Table Fluctuation methods. Results show that the aquifer is characterized by a high recharge of 600–760 mm/year. Then infiltration process and groundwater flow conditions have been examined by combining hydrogeological and isotopic methods. Rainwater infiltrated is recycled in the vadose zone through plants roots transpiration and groundwater flows with a Darcy velocity of 5 m/day. From the recharge area to the estuary, the mineralization increases controlled by anthropogenic activities and water-rocks interactions which are amplified by the residence time and accelerated by the hot and humid climate of Douala. The paper ends with the determination of natural background levels (NBLs) and threshold values (TV) of chemical components in groundwater to assess the contamination for different flow paths. This multi-proxy study and the establishment of NBLs and TV can be beneficial to improve groundwater resources management. Moreover, the conceptual model provided in this study could be used as a reference for porous aquifers submitted to high rainfall amount.

Ecological stakeholder analogs as intermediaries between freshwater biodiversity conservation and sustainable water management

AbstractWater security is essential for human well‐being and is among the biggest challenges in environmental governance. Governments and nonprofit organizations alike are gaining increased appreciation for the contributions of intact ecosystems to water security, whereas conservation scientists call for decisive action to address the dire condition of earth's freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity. Stakeholder‐based, Habermasian decision‐making frameworks such as integrated water resources management (IWRM) are widely used to equitably manage complex water systems, and ecologists have developed increasingly sophisticated frameworks (e.g., environmental flows) to quantify and anticipate the ecological outcomes of water management decisions. IWRM implementation is criticized for being excessively top‐down whereas ecological frameworks in water decision‐making can fail to account for the cultural and societal values of ecosystems, and it remains unclear how best to connect the desired bottom‐up implementation of IWRM with the expert‐based, top‐down structure of hydro‐ecological research. We revisit and elaborate upon the ecological stakeholder analog (ESA) concept, which treats ecological phenomena (e.g., species and processes) as stakeholders and ecological information as interests and positions with respect to water management. We then illustrate how ESAs can address the many calls to improve environmental flows and IWRM strategies by improving their integration, and how established conceptual frameworks from stakeholder theory applies readily to ecological stakeholders.

On the Strategy of Integrated Water Resources Management in Kazakhstan

The article outlines the concept and presents some proposals for the implementation of the integrated water resources management strategy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The purpose of the article is to analyze the strategy of integrated water resources management in Kazakhstan. In particular, the principles for achieving a qualitatively new state of the water sector, the main components of the state water policy at the current stage, the main mechanisms for its implementation and the stages of implementation are indicated. The novelty of this article lies in the fact that the integrated water resources management at the current stage has been analyzed, and it will be interesting for other countries.

Simple and Low-Cost Procedure for Monthly and Yearly Streamflow Forecasts during the Current Hydrological Year

Accurately forecasting streamflow values is essential to achieve an efficient, integrated water resources management strategy and to provide consistent support to water decision-makers. We present a simple, low-cost, and robust approach for forecasting monthly and yearly streamflows during the current hydrological year, which is applicable to headwater catchments. The procedure innovatively combines the use of well-known regression analysis techniques, the two-parameter Gamma continuous cumulative probability distribution function and the Monte Carlo method. Several model performance statistics metrics (including the Coefficient of Determination R2; the Root-Mean-Square Error RMSE; the Mean Absolute Error MAE; the Index of Agreement IOA; the Mean Absolute Percent Error MAPE; the Coefficient of Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency NSE; and the Inclusion Coefficient IC) were used and the results showed good levels of accuracy (improving as the number of observed months increases). The model forecast outputs are the mean monthly and yearly streamflows along with the 10th and 90th percentiles. The methodology has been successfully applied to two headwater reservoirs within the Guadalquivir River Basin in southern Spain, achieving an accuracy of 92% and 80% in March 2017. These risk-based predictions are of great value, especially before the intensive irrigation campaign starts in the middle of the hydrological year, when Water Authorities have to ensure that the right decision is made on how to best allocate the available water volume between the different water users and environmental needs.

Developing Sustainable Legal Framework for the Establishment of Integrated Water Resources Management in Iran

In this study, the advantages and limitations, given the rules and regulations in Iran, of implementing an integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach are analyzed. As IWRM does not exist at the level of basin in Iran, it is suggested that the legal framework for the establishment of IWRM eventually be initiated with consideration given the structural complexities of water management systems at a national level. Such an approach is generally missing in Iran, and sustainable solutions are necessary for the all-round development of the country as pertains to water. In addition, the environmental degradation of water and soil in basins has resulted in the migration of people from rural areas to urban regions. All these factors have contributed to the great complexity of Iran’s IWRM. With the principles of the establishment of IWRM across water basins in mind, this study investigated and ultimately presented proposals and solutions for modifying the rights and rules of the water in basins. The results indicated that the best solution for solving the problems associated with IWRM is ever-increasing interaction between the beneficiaries and the tools available for achieving a sustainable IWRM strategy in Iran.

Integrated water resources management under climate change scenarios in the sub-basin of Abaya-Chamo, Ethiopia

In this study, the impact of climate change on surface water availability and its allocation system was carried out within Bilate watershed in the Abaya-Chamo sub-basin of Rift Valley Lakes Basin in Ethiopia. Predicted rainfall and temperature time series data were obtained from regional climate outputs of Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX)-Africa for the three representative concentration pathways (RCP) scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5) for the four time periods (2015–2020, 2021–2025, 2026–2030 and 2031–2035). The result revealed that the future maximum and minimum temperature can be increased during all three scenarios. However, precipitation showed an increase or decreasing trend in future scenarios at different time scales. Further, SWAT model was calibrated and validated to simulate the future streamflow under RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 scenarios. WEAP model was employed for integrated water resources allocations under selected climate change scenarios. The SWAT model performance was found satisfactory during calibration [correlation coefficient (R2) = 0.77, Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) = 0.755, percent deviation (D) = 2.558] and validation period (R2 = 0.798, NSE = 0.778, D= − 3.93). The model output shows that there may be an annual decrease in flow upto − 12.1 and − 16.21% for RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The annual surface water availability was found to be 570 million cubic meter (MCM) in the Bilate watershed for the current accounted year 2015. However, the current utilization of these resources is very limited about 51.49 MCM (9.03%) in the basin including domestic, livestock and minor agricultural activities. Furthermore, four scenarios were developed based on different set of assumptions in the basin up to 2035. It was estimated that total annual consumption will be around 14.53, 20.43, 37.47 and 44.46% for the reference, scenario one, two and three, respectively. This study also determines the environmental flow requirements (25% of the mean annual flow volume) to maintain the basic ecological functioning in the basin and regulate flow for downstream uses. This study was found that integrated water resources management strategy in the basin could utilize water resources potential effectively in the future. Therefore, this study is useful for the different stakeholders in the study region for the optimal allocation of water resources under climate change scenarios.

Socio-Ecological Regionalization of the Urban Sub-Basins in Mexico

Mexico is a diverse country in terms of culture and natural environments. For this reason, the delimitation of homogeneous basins with similar environmental, social, and economic attributes is important in order to facilitate the elaboration of high-impact regional development strategies. However, this represents an ongoing challenge due to the complexity of the interactions that occur within socio-ecological systems at a regional scale. In the present study, the main objective was to identify the interrelationships among different aspects of the socio-ecological system located within basins, with the goal of utilizing this information to promote the region-specific sustainable development of an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Therefore, in this study, environmental, social, economic, and institutional variables, relevant to water management and with the capacity to be expressed spatially, were utilized to identify regions with similar characteristics and to regionalize the urban sub-basins of Mexico based on a principal component analysis (PCA) and the k-medoids clustering algorithm. The identification of the most adequate number of regions at the national level was determined by the silhouette method. As a result, five distinct regions for Mexico were generated, which forms the first step in the design of integrated water resources management strategies for these regions.

River basin management in Central Asia: evidence from Isfara Basin, Fergana Valley

Around the world, state water management organizations are the agents delegated to implement basin-level integrated water resources management strategies. In Central Asia, the hydrographic water management—deeming a river basin or a catchment area a proper water management unit—is a widely accepted concept. Yet, state water bureaucracies are incapable and/or reluctant to interact on water management with the “outsiders”, both domestically and internationally. To overcome this shortcoming, basin councils are promoted as formalized platforms to facilitate inter-sectoral dialogue, and likewise, to support local participatory processes within river basin planning and management. The approach offers a framework of integrating water sector planning and management with environmental, social and economic agendas of a given basin. State water management organizations are designated the role of technical secretariats of such basin councils which should be facilitating and helping to improve other stakeholders’ behavioral response in watersheds. The paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the process of implementation of the river basin model through the theory of change based on issues, challenges and recommendations identified in the transboundary Central Asian Isfara River Basin shared by Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

An integrated water resources management strategy for Al-Ain City, United Arab Emirates

Abstract. Al-Ain is the second largest city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the third in the UAE. Currently, desalination plants are the only source of drinking water in the city with an average daily supply of 170 MIG. Recently, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) released Al-Ain 2030 Plan. Projects suggested in this plan, over and above the expected natural population growth, will certainly put additional stress on the water resources in the city. Therefore, Al-Ain city seems to be in urgent need for an integrated water resources management strategy towards achieving sustainable development. This strategy will contain three main components; namely, a Water Demand Forecasting Model (WDFM), a Water Budget Model (WBM), and a Water Resources Optimization Model (WROM). The main aim of this paper is to present the WBM that estimates all inflows and outflows to assess water resources sustainability in the city.

Towards an Enhanced Knowledge-based Decision Support System (DSS) for Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)

Abstract Currently, management tools are designed to solve specific water issues, they cannot interoperate and are losing decisional dependencies along the water supply distribution chain. This article reports a DSS, which uses decisional knowledge to improve daily operations. A specially designed Water Management Ontology (WMO) is used to encompass the water cycle from water management perspective and combined with two inference engines which provide recommendations to the water manager. This knowledge characterization permits to semantically represent human and natural paths interactions in order to discover hidden knowledge, hence founding new IWRM strategies to improve resource management and energy efficiency.

Methodological challenges in evaluating performance, impact and ranking of IWRM strategies in the Jordan Valley

The philosophy of integrated water resource management (IWRM), as formulated in several international summits, yielded numerous interpretations and extensions over the last decade but always focused on the overall objective of maximizing the welfare and livelihood of the people concerned. One of the major constraints of this concept is the gap between the well-defined philosophy and the fuzzy definition of operational and testable indicators for the achievement of its goals. This leads to difficulties in the evaluation of potential contributions from technological and managerial improvements. The experience of the multi-lateral IWRM research initiative SMART in the lower Jordan Valley shows that the evaluation and ranking of alternative IWRM strategies and their elements relies simultaneously on the identification of local goals and their interfaces with the superordinate national water sector policies. The documentation of the, still ongoing, development process of suitable assessment procedures describes their methodological embedding and conclusions drawn for the heterogeneous situation of water-related settings in this transboundary watershed.

Large scale integrated hydrological modelling of the impact of climate change on the water balance with DANUBIA

Abstract. Future climate change will affect the water availability in large areas. In order to derive appropriate adaptation strategies the impact on the water balance has to be determined on a regional scale in a high spatial and temporal resolution. Within the framework of the BRAHMATWINN project the model system DANUBIA, developed within the project GLOWA Danube (GLOWA Danube, 2010; Mauser and Ludwig, 2002), was applied to calculate the water balance components under past and future climate conditions in the large-scale mountain watersheds of the Upper Danube and the Upper Brahmaputra. To use CLM model output data as meteorological drivers DANUBIA is coupled with the scaling tool SCALMET (Marke, 2008). For the determination of the impact of glacier melt water on the water balance the model SURGES (Weber et al., 2008; Prasch, 2010) is integrated into DANUBIA. In this paper we introduce the hydrological model DANUBIA with the tools SCALMET and SURGES. By means of the distributed hydrological time series for the past from 1971 to 2000 the model performance is presented. In order to determine the impact of climate change on the water balance in both catchments, time series from 2011 to 2080 according to the IPCC SRES emission scenarios A2, A1B, B2 and Commitment are analysed. Together with the socioeconomic outcomes (see Chapter 4) the DANUBIA model results provide the basis for the derivation of Integrated Water Resources Management Strategies to adapt to climate change impacts (see Chapter 9 and 10).

Development of responses based on IPCC and "what-if?" IWRM scenarios

Abstract. This work illustrates the findings of a participatory research process aimed at identifying responses for sustainable water management in a climate change perspective, in two river basins in Europe and Asia. The chapter describes the methodology implemented through local participatory workshops, aimed at eliciting and evaluating possible responses to flood risk, which were then assessed with respect to the existing governance framework. Socio-economic vulnerability was also investigated developing an indicator, whose future trend was analysed with reference to IPCC scenarios. The main outcome of such activities consists in the identification of Integrated Water Resource Management Strategies (IWRMS) based upon the issues and preferences elicited from local experts. The mDSS decision support tool was used to facilitate transparent and robust management of the information collected and communication of the outputs.

Surface and groundwater drought evaluation with respect to aquatic habitat quality applied in Torysa river catchment, Slovakia

Natural conditions of drought occurrence are often combined with human activities strengthening drought consequences. Occurrence of meteorological, surface and groundwater droughts was analysed for the upper part of the Torysa river catchment. The influence of water abstraction was evaluated. Habitat suitability curves derived according to IFIM methodology were constructed for Barbus carpathicus. Minimum flow, bellow which unfavourable life conditions for barbel occur, was estimated on 0.300m3 s−1. The longest period of drought with the discharge below the minimum flow occurred during the multiyear drought 1986–1987. The problem of minimum flow preservation should be solved in the upstream part of the catchment, where natural streamflows are strongly influenced by water abstraction. Such an approach is fully compatible with the requirements of the integrated water resources management strategy.

Strategic implementation of integrated water resources management in Mozambique: An A’WOT analysis

The Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) paradigm has become an important framework in development and management of water resources. Many countries in the Southern Africa region have begun water sector reforms to align the sector with the IWRM concepts. In 2007 the Mozambican Government started to update the policy and the legal framework of the water sector to foster the application of IWRM concept as a basis for achieving sustainable development. However the steps towards the implementation of this national framework are still in preparation. This research aims to identify and establish a priority ranking of the fundamental factors likely to affect the outcome of the IWRM reforms in Mozambique. This study uses the hybrid multi-criteria decision method A’WOT, a methodology coined by Kurttila et al. (2000). This method relies on the combination of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) technique and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. Using this procedure it is possible to identify and rank the factors affecting the functioning of a system. The key factors affecting the implementation of the IWRM, analysed in this study, were identified through an expert group discussion. These factors have been grouped into different categories of SWOT. Subsequently, the AHP methodology was applied to obtain the relative importance of each factor captured in the SWOT analysis; to this end the authors interviewed a panel of water resources management experts and practitioners. As a result, of this study and the application of the A’WOT methodology, the research identified and ranked the fundamental factors for the success of the IWRM strategy in Mozambique. The results of this study suggest that in Mozambique a planning strategy for the implementation of the IWRM should be guided mainly by combination of interventions in factors falling under opportunity and weakness SWOT groups.

A Participatory Approach to Assess the Effectiveness of Responses to Cope with Flood Risk

This work illustrates the preliminary findings of a participatory research process aimed at identifying responses for sustainable water management in a climate change perspective, in two river basins in Europe and Asia. The paper describes the methodology implemented through local workshops, aimed at eliciting and evaluating possible responses to flood risk. Participatory workshops allowed for the identification of four categories of possible responses and a set of nine evaluation criteria, three for each of the three pillars of sustainable development. The main outcome of such activities consists in the ranking of broad response categories instrumental to the objective of the Brahmatwinn research project, i.e. the identification of Integrated Water Resource Management Strategies (IWRMS) based upon the issues and preferences elicited from local experts. The mDSS tool was used to facilitate transparent and robust management of the information collected through Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and communication of the outputs.

Management of Alluvial Aquifers in Two Southern African Ephemeral Rivers: Implications for IWRM

This paper summarises innovative research into the assessment of long-term groundwater recharge from flood events in dryland environments of the Kuiseb (Namibia) and the Buffels (South Africa) rivers. The integrated water resource management (IWRM) policies and institutions affecting the exploitation of groundwater resources in each of these developing countries are compared. The relatively large alluvial aquifer of the Kuiseb River (∼240 Mm3) is recharged from irregular floods originating in the upper catchment. Reported abstraction of 4.6 Mm3 per year is primarily consumed in the town of Walvis Bay, although the groundwater decay (pumping and natural losses along the period 1983–2005) was estimated in 14.8 Mm3 per year. Recharge is variable, occurring in 11 out of 13 years in the middle Kuiseb River, but only in 11 out of 28 years in the middle-lower reaches. In contrast, the Buffels River has relatively minor alluvial aquifers (∼11 Mm3) and recharge sources derive from both lateral subsurface flow and floodwater infiltration, the latter limited to a recharge maximum of 1.3 Mm3 during floods occurring once every four years. Current abstractions to supply the adjacent rural population and a few small-scale, irrigated commercial farms are 0.15 Mm3 yr − 1, well within the long-term sustainable yield estimated to be 0.7 Mm3 yr − 1. Since independence in 1990, Namibia’s water resource management approach has focussed on ephemeral river basin management of which the Kuiseb Basin Management Committee (KBMC) is a model. Here, some water points are managed independently by rural communities through committees while the national bulk water supplier provides for Walvis Bay Municipality from the lower aquifers. This provides a sense of local ownership through local participation between government, NGOs and CBOs (community-based organisations) in the planning and implementation of IWRM. Despite the potential for water resource development in the lower Buffels River, the scope for implementing IWRM is limited not only by the small aquifer size, but also because basin management in South Africa is considered only in the context of perennial rivers. Since 2001, water service delivery in the Buffels River catchment has become the responsibility of two newly created local municipalities. As municipal government gains experience, skills and capacity, its ability to respond to local needs related to water service delivery will be accomplished through local participation in the design and implementation of annual ‘integrated development plans’. These two case studies demonstrate that a variety of IWRM strategies in the drylands of developing countries are appropriate depending on scales of governance, evolving policy frameworks, scales of need and limitations inherent in the hydrological processes of groundwater resources.