Application of water resource multi-objective allocation service based on digital water network

The rational allocation of water resources plays an important role in alleviating disparities between supply and demand in areas with water shortages. With the continuous development of modern information technology, the pace of digitization is accelerating. Digital water networks provide a means of technical support, and their application is becoming more extensive. Based on the traditional study of water resource allocation combined with the development of modern information technology, this paper proposes a new operational application model of multi-objective water resource allocation based on a digital water network and applies this model to allocate water resources in the Heihe River basin in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. First, a topological digital water network is constructed based on the connectivity criterion of water systems, and a cooperative configuration model with social, economic and ecological objectives is established. Second, the model and its solution method are componentized, and the water resource allocation business system is constructed based on the comprehensive integration platform to integrate the digital water network and the water resource multi-objective allocation business. Finally, to verify the scientificity and feasibility of the new model, the new model was applied to allocate water resources in the Heihe River basin of Xi'an city, Shaanxi Province.

Investigating a Water Resource Allocation Model by Using Interval Fuzzy Two-Stage Robust Planning for the Yinma River Basin, Jilin Province, China

This study introduces a fuzzy method to construct the interval fuzzy two-stage robust (ITSFR) water resource optimal allocation model based on the interval two-stage robust (ITSR) water resource optimal allocation model. Optimal economic benefit was considered the objective function, and the number of available water resources, sewage treatment capacity, reuse water treatment capacity, and total pollutant control were considered as the constraints. Under three five-year planning periods (2015–2020, 2020–2025, and 2025–2030) and according to the allocation levels of dry, flat, and abundant water periods (low, medium, and high discharge), the pollution absorption, upgrading projects, and water resource allocation schemes of various water sectors (industry, municipal life, ecological environment, and agricultural sector) in the Yinma River Basin were optimized. Water consumption quota is an interval value; high and low water consumption lead to a waste of water resources in the water consumption sector and restrict the development of the water consumption sector, respectively, which indicates that the water consumption quota has the characteristics of fuzzy uncertainty. Therefore, the optimization model was set as a fuzzy parameter in the solution process. The simulation results indicated that water quota can directly influence the income of water resource use, and thus, indirectly influence the economic benefit of the Yinma River Basin during the planning period. In the planning period of the Yinma River Basin, the economic benefit interval of dry, flat, and abundant water periods was reduced by 57%, 55%, and 48%, respectively, which provides a robust method with the advantages of a balanced economy, a stable system, reduced decision-making space, and significantly improved decision-making efficiency. Moreover, the emission ranges of typical pollution indicators (chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen) in the eight counties and urban areas of the Yinma River Basin were significantly reduced during the three planning periods (Dehui area had the highest overall reduction of ammonia nitrogen in the industrial sector during the second five-year planning period, up to 65%), which indicated a significant improvement in the decision-making efficiency. In addition to the Changchun City planning areas dominated by the agriculture production water sector, water resource allocation accounts for >80% of the regional water resource allocation; using the fuzzy optimization method after the Yinma River Basin water resource allocation model, the overall water deficit was significantly reduced; moreover, it was almost the same as in the first five-year period of Changchun City industry water deficit, which declined by up to 33%. The problem of resource waste caused by excessive water limiting in the water sector could be avoided because of the fuzzy water limit. To solve the prominent problem of water deficit in large- and medium-sized cities in the basin, industrial and ecological water sectors can implement measures such as water resource reuse. The total amount of water reuse in a medium year increases by up to 46% compared with that in the ITSR optimization model, which can be attributed to the reduced water consumption limit range of water consumption sectors after the fuzzy water consumption limit. This shows that more water can be allocated to meet the requirements of the water sector during decision-making. In conclusion, this study offers an effective scheme for decision makers to plan water resource allocation in the Yinma River Basin.

An Optimal Water Resource Allocation Mechanism Based on Ex-Post Verification and Reward in Huangbai River

Under the current administrative system (AS) in China, the water resources governor allocates limited water resources to several users to realize the utility of water resources, leading to a principal–agent problem. The governor (referred to as the principal and she) wishes to maximize water resource allocation efficiency, while each user (referred to as the agent and he) only wishes to maximize his own quota. In addition, the governor cannot know water demand information exactly since it is the water users’ private information. Hence, this paper builds an ex ante improved bankruptcy allocation rule and an ex post verification and reward mechanism to improve water allocation efficiency from the governor’s perspective. In this mechanism, the governor allocates water among users based on an improved bankruptcy rule before the water is used up, verifies users’ information by various approaches, and poses a negative reward to them if their information is found to be false after the water is used up. Then, this mechanism is applied to Huangbai River Basin. Research results show that the improved allocation rule could motivate users to report demand information more honestly, and ex post verification could motivate water users to further report their true information, which, as a result, could improve the water allocation efficiency. Furthermore, this mechanism could be applied to the allocation of other resources.

Adjustable Robust Optimization for Multi-Period Water Allocation in Droughts under Uncertainty

Optimal, rational water resource allocation can go some way to overcoming water deficiencies; however, its achievement is complex due to conflicting hierarchies and uncertainties, such as water availability (WA) and water demand (WD). This study developed a robust water withdrawal scheme for arid and semi-arid regions that balanced the trade-offs between the sub-areas and water use participants, ensured sustainable regional system development, and guaranteed robust solutions for future uncertainties. A bi-level affinely adjustable robust counterpart (AARC) programming framework was developed, in which the regional authority as the leader allocates water to the sub-areas to maximize the intra- and intergenerational equity, and the sub-areas as the followers allocate water to their respective water departments to maximize their economic benefits and minimize water shortages. This method used affine functions between the decision variables (water allocation amount) and the uncertain parameters (WA, WD) to deal with the computationally intractable (NP-hard) robust counterpart for the multi-period water resources management. To illustrate the applicability and feasibility of this framework, a case study from Neijiang, China, is given. This model can assist regional authorities develop more robust water resource allocation solutions for multi-period planning responses to uncertain water deficiencies.

An Improved Inexact Two-Stage Stochastic with Downside Risk-Control Programming Model for Water Resource Allocation under the Dual Constraints of Water Pollution and Water Scarcity in Northern China

Water resource allocation aimed at sustainable watershed development suffers from prominent challenges such as water pollution and scarcity, especially in water-deprived regions. Based on analysis of water quality, use, and sectoral demands during the planning period in the Fenhe River Basin, an improved inexact two-stage stochastic programming model with downside risk control was built for optimal resource allocations for the four primary sectors (industry, domestic use, agriculture, and the environment) in the basin. The principal constraints are river water quality and available water resources under the three hydrological scenarios (low, medium, and high). The results show that industrial, domestic, and agricultural water use in the middle and lower reaches were significantly reduced by requiring improved water quality; agriculture suffered the greatest water shortage and risk. As the level of risk control improved, the comprehensive watershed benefits and agricultural risks were gradually reduced. Improving water reuse significantly reduces the risk and increases the benefits. The model can effectively manage rational water allocations under the dual constraints of water quality and quantity, meanwhile alleviating water competition caused by different water benefits to provide support for coordinating the improvement of water quality and socio-economic development in the basin.