Optimal Operation of Underground Reservoir in Tailan River Basin

Tailan river basin is a typical drought river basin in northwest China where construction of underground reservoirs is approved as an effective way to solve the problem of water resource shortage in the river basin. In order to ensure water supply efficiency of the underground reservoirs of the basin, it is necessary to research their recharge and supply patterns and to optimally operate them. This paper has, therefore, investigated different recharge locations and recharge ways through numerical simulation of underground flow in an underground reservoir area of the basin to explore a typical scheduling plan for optimal operation of the reservoir. The results show that it is better to recharge the reservoir using the flood season recharge approach at the centre of the reservoir area to ensure its continuous operation. Following from this recharge process, the use of a three-well pumping scheme is regarded as the best choice for optimal water supply from the reservoir. Also, the study indicates that for the same recharge amount, if the recharge time is closer to the pumping peak, then there is the more obvious effect of underground level recovery; the recovery is much better if the recharge time is more concentrated.

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Assessment of the Irrigation Water Requirement and Water Supply Risk in the Tarim River Basin, Northwest China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11184941 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (18) ◽

pp. 4941 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Fei Wang ◽

Yaning Chen ◽

Zhi Li ◽

Gonghuan Fang ◽

Yupeng Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Supply ◽

River Basin ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Fruit Trees ◽

Northwest China ◽

Temporal Variations ◽

Tarim River ◽

Tarim River Basin ◽

Water Shortages ◽

The Tarim River Basin

Studying the relationship between agricultural irrigation water requirements (IWR) and water supply is significant for optimizing the sustainable management of water resources in Tarim River Basin (TRB). However, the related studies have not quantified the total IWR and the imbalance of irrigation water supply and requirements in the TRB. The study analyzed the spatial-temporal variations of IWR by a modified Penman–Monteith (PM) method during 1990–2015. Five major crops—rice, wheat, maize, cotton, and fruit trees—are chosen for calculating the IWR. It was found that the IWR increased significantly, from 193.14 × 108 m3 in 1990 to 471.89 × 108 m3 in 2015, for a total increase of 278.74 × 108 m3. For the first period (1990–2002), the total IWR remained stable at 200 × 108 m3 but started to increase from 2003 onwards. Significantly more irrigation water was consumed in the oasis regions of the Tienshan Mountains (southern slope) and the Yarkand River (plains). Furthermore, there was an intensified conflict between IWR and water supply in the major sub-basins. The ratios of IWR to river discharge (IWR/Q) for the Weigan-Kuqa River Basin (WKRB), Aksu River Basin (ARB), Kaxgar River Basin (KGRB), and Yarkand River Basin (YRB) were 0.93, 0.68, 1.05, and 0.79, respectively. The IWR/Q experienced serious annual imbalances, as high flows occurred in July and August, whereas critical high IWR occurred in May and June. Seasonal water shortages further aggravate the water stress in the arid region.

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From individualistic behavior to full cooperation: optimal management policy design under varying cooperation levels in the Nile River basin

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-11713 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Giacomo Trombetta ◽

Andrea Castelletti ◽

Matteo Giuliani ◽

Marta Zaniolo ◽

Paul Block

Keyword(s):

Water Supply ◽

River Basin ◽

Optimal Operation ◽

Management Policy ◽

Nile River ◽

Blue Nile ◽

High Aswan Dam ◽

Aswan Dam ◽

Nile River Basin ◽

Full Cooperation

Transboundary river basins worldwide are commonly managed by unique, institutionally independent decision makers and characterized by multiple stakeholders with conflicting interests, including distribution, co-management, and use of water resources across sectors and among countries. This competition is expected to exacerbate in the future due to climate change induced water scarcity, increasing demand, and the development of infrastructure, which is often criticized for potentially jeopardizing downstream security by affecting water supply, irrigation, and energy production.&#160;The Nile River basin is an emblematic transboundary basin, encompassing 11 countries and home to one-third of the African population. The largest fraction of Nile River streamflow originates in Ethiopia and is conveyed into the system via the Blue Nile. However, the larger water users have historically been downstream, in particular Egypt, where the High Aswan Dam (HAD) constitutes the backbone of Egyptian electricity supply and enables the irrigation of vast agricultural districts. This geographic disparity between water origination and consumption provides both the potential for conflict and the rationale for cooperation. Currently, the ongoing construction of the soon-to-be largest dam in Africa, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, is highly debated given concerns rising from how it will affect water supply and power generation in downstream countries. However, GERD may represent a response to the frequent regional power shortages, foster economic development, and represents a unique opportunity for cooperation between riparian countries from which all parties can benefit.In this work we explore how varying levels of cooperation among the riparian countries, from individualistic behavior to full cooperation, might impact hydropower production and irrigated agriculture in the Nile River basin. We use an Evolutionary Multi-Objective Direct Policy Search approach to design optimal operation of a three-dimensional reservoir system, including GERD (Ethiopia), HAD (Egypt), and Merowe Dam (Sudan), under historical hydro-climatic conditions and under different cooperation levels, assuming the capacity of re-optimization of the High Aswan Dam and the Merowe Dam. Expected results may illustrate the benefits of implementing a centralized rather than an individualistic strategy, highlighting the value of full information exchange and of basin-wide cooperation.

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