Agricultural activities impacts on water resources of Masouleh river basin with WEAP model

Abstract

The Masouleh river basin is in south of Iran. Different water user such as urban, rural, agriculture and industry are presented in the catchment. Municipal, rural, agricultural, industry and environmental need are going exacerbate future water resources management. The agricultural activities are related to a range of environmental factors such as conservation of the natural resources, water and biodiversity. WEAP capabilities are extensive related to water resources for municipal and agricultural sector including water conservation, ware allocation priorities, water demand and ecosystem requirements. In this study, three scenarios (Reference, Change of priority and Agriculture reuse Scenario) were selected in order to assess the impact of water demands on the water resources of the Masouleh River catchment in 2035. Scenario made in the current situation and the model enabled analyses of unmet water demand for each scenario for 25 years (from 2011 to 2035). The results of the study showed that Change of priority scenarios water supply is not insufficient to completely meet the demands of all sectors therefore, reuse scenario is the next priority. Application of Water Conservation and Demand Management practices and improvement water distribution can reduce the unmet demand.

Keywords

• water evaluation and planning system weap
• water resources management
• masouleh river basin
• agricultural activity