Interactive Computer Support System for the Management of Large Rivers: The Zambezi River Case Study (original) (raw)
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An interactive reservoir management system for Lake Kariba
European Journal of Operational Research, 1998
Reservoir manangement might be characterised as one of the oldest topics for decision support. On one hand this is due to the fact that it is very clear what has t o be decided. On the other hand this is due to the important consequences of the decisions. In the first years of reservoir management, the emphasis was on optimization. Later, other aspects were included like the use of multiple criteria and forcasts for future inflow. The current paper presents a state-of-the-art approach to the reservoir management of Lake Kariba by integrating virtually all essential aspects with the expert knowledge of the reservoir manager in an interactive system based on up-to-date information technology.
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Proceeding of CCWI 2005 on Water …, 2005
Water is one of the controlling factors of regional development around the Eastern and Southern Mediterranean. Scarcity and conflict characterize water resource management in many countries and river basins. Rapid demographic and economic development especially of the coastal zone, urbanization, industrialization, tourism, and an often inefficient agricultural sector as the dominant water user contribute to the problem. Low availability of renewable water, overexploited groundwater, pollution, inefficient infrastructure, pronounced seasonality with unfavourable demand patterns very different from the seasonal supply aggravate the situation.
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This book chapter presents the experiences in developing and applying a decision support system in a trans-boundary river basin context taking the Nile Basin Decision Support System (NB DSS) as a case. This system is categorized as model-based DSS, as simulation models of the water resource system are its central components, albeit combined with many other components such as a database, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and algorithm implementations for data analysis, optimization, Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA), Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), etc. The system is developed cooperatively, as part of the efforts of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) for promoting shared and equitable water resources development and management in the basin. It serves its formal purpose of evaluating different water resources planning and management alternatives, but to also acts as knowledge sharing platform for enhancing shared understanding of the Nile basin water resources system and the interests and needs of various stakeholders. The chapter presents the process for NB DSS design, development and implementation, together with its main components and the experiences and lessons learned from its initial use.
A Decision Support System for Beneficial Use of National Dam Water Resources in Swaziland
World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2009, 2009
Globally water is unevenly distributed in time and space. In Swaziland the highveld region receives high rainfall ranging from 1200 to 1500mm annually while the lowveld region receives the lowest amount of rainfall ranging from 300 to 500mm annually. The Planning, development and management of water storage and transmission facilities is an attempt to change the spatial and temporal availability of water, to make it available where and when needed. The Government of Swaziland has undertaken the development of water storage and distribution facilities as a process towards overcoming the unevenly distribution of the water resource. However, the current water storage facilities with a total capacity of 568.65x10 6 m 3 can not meet the water demand which stands at 1795x10 6 m 3 annually. The overall objective of this project was to develop an optimum and sustainable utilization decision support tool for water allocation and rationing options for national water reservoirs. A Decision Support System (DSS) is defined as a user-oriented computer system which supports decision-makers in addressing unstructured problems. The rationing mode in the developed DSS was used to distribute the available stored water at the beginning of April in order to arrive at a priori predetermined reservoir storage level at the end of October. The DSS has three major components and that is the model input, modeling options and outputs screens. The model input component comprises of technical data (inflow, reservoir level, intended % volume at end of October and allowed lowest rationing %), and policy data (uniform rationing or differential rationing). The modeling options comprise of commands to determine optimum rationing %, provide % rationing and observed dam response and imposed rationing %. The output of the DSS comprises of the optimal rationing (%), monthly reservoir volume from April to end of October as well as a graphical representation of the reservoir response and the final recommendation. The DSS also provides the total crop hectarage and thus the net benefits for the different initial and end of season (October) for the corresponding optimal irrigation water rationing (%). The results of the DSS with a starting reservoir level at 15m at the beginning of April and a 10% reservoir level at the end of October, is that there is no need for rationing (that is the water demand for all uses are met) and the reservoir level stands at around 29% at the end of October. The results of the DSS with a starting reservoir at 6m at the beginning of April is that the rationing is 46% for all uses in order to arrive at a 10% reservoir storage level at the end of October is not recommended. This is because, with 54% deficit, there is a danger of crops to wilt beyond recovery. The final DSS recommendation starting with a reservoir level at 6m at the beginning of April is irrigation rationing at 60% (i.e. 40% water deficit) combined with a reduction of 14% of the hectares of irrigated fields. Rationing Model Allocation Model DSS Recommendation Water Uses Dam level Inflow Consumptive Non Consumptive Recetion info Water use categori es Crop-water Requirement Water Demand
African Journal of Aquatic Science, 2022
As human pressures on water resources increase, the data and decision support (DS) tools used in the governance, development and management of transboundary rivers are likely to become increasingly important. there are no universal, standardised selection processes or designs for these tools, and so it is up to individual river Basin organisations (rBos) to decide what to include in their capacities. this desktop study provides a broad comparative analysis of the suites of DS numerical modelling tools developed and utilised by five intergovernmental transboundary rBos that advise their member states in the management of their shared water resources: the Permanent okavango river Basin water Commission; the orange-Senqu river Commission; the nile Basin Initiative; the Zambezi watercourse Commission; and the Mekong river Commission. these DS tools were reviewed against the information required to enable the kinds of comprehensive assessments of proposed basin management and development plans defined in their respective agreements, which include not only hydrological parameters, but also environmental and social considerations. A review of the model development timelines showed that prior to 2000, little capacity existed in modelling of hydrological, ecosystem, and social components of the river, but that these gaps have been addressed in recent years.
Analysis of future hydropower development and operational scenarios on the zambezi river basin
2016
The Zambezi River basin is the fourth largest in Africa. Covering an area of about 1 400 000 km2 that is shared among 8 countries, it is the home of over 30 million people. There are ample opportunities for development in the region, including on the hydropower sector, whose estimated potential still to be exploited amounts to over 8 000 MW. In the future, the Zambezi is thought to be particularly vulnerable to climatic changes, with sizable expected impacts on average runoff, and will play a key role in the challenges posed by regional water scarcity. How future and current hydropower schemes are laid out and operate will affect the valuable ecosystems still thriving in the riparian areas of the basin and impact economic, as well as societal aspects. The present contribution employs a daily flow routing model in order to evaluate the impacts of different future hydropower development scenarios on the Zambezi River basin. Resorting to it and a multi-objective optimization technique ...
Decision Support Systems for Large Dam Planning and
2007
This paper is a contribution to a research project entitled "Improved planning of large dam operation: using decision support systems to optimize livelihood benefits, safeguard health and protect the environment." This study is funded by the Challenge Program on Water and Food, an initiative of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). I am grateful to Yilma Seleshi and Dereje Hailu of Addis Ababa University, Jackie King of Southern Waters and Seleshi Bekele, Head of the subregional office for Nile Basin and East Africa of IWMI, for comments received on earlier versions. I am also grateful to Rebecca Tharme, Researcher at IWMI, Colombo, Sri Lanka, for her review of the document.
2018
Within the German-Vietnamese joint research project-Integrated Water Resources Management Vietnam‖, Planning and Decision Support Tools on a regional scale are being developed. A Water Balance Tool is utilized to calculate and assess water demands and compares these with the quantity of water resources to identify surpluses or deficits. The sensitivity of water resources and the contamination potential are combined to display water quality aspects within a Contamination Risk Tool. A resulting evaluation is carried out with a Ranking Tool. It identifies areas with high priority need for action. The Planning and Decision Support Tools are being discussed with Vietnamese institutions and authorities.