Water Resources Systems:

Planning and Management

Topics to be covered

The nature of water resources systems, Identification and evaluation of water

management plans: water resources planning objectives, cost-benefit, multi-
objectives, plan formation, planning models and solution procedures, optimization
methods: liner and dynamic programming, non-linear programming and multi-
objective optimization. Water resources planning under uncertainty, application of
systems analysis to water resources: estimation of reservoir storage requirement for
water supply, flood control aspects, HP production, withdrawals and diversions;
reservoir operation. Introduction to river basin modeling and management: river
basins models. Special emphasis is given to system techniques applications to
irrigation planning and management problems.

References: Any material containing the above topics

Evaluation: Assignments and Exams (both mid term and final)
Introduction

Water as scarce and economic good

• Water is becoming scarcer globally and every indication is that it will become even more so in
the future. What causes water scarcity?
• Decreasing availability, declining quality, and growing demand for water are creating
significant challenges to businesses and investors who have traditionally taken clean, reliable
and inexpensive water for granted. What are the effects of water scarcity?
• These problems are already causing decreases in companies’ water allotments, shifts toward
full-cost water pricing, more stringent water quality regulations, growing community
opposition and conflicts, and increased public scrutiny of corporate water practices.

• Water scarcity is the lack of sufficient available water resources to meet water needs within a
region.
• It affects every continent and around 2.8 billion people around the world at least one month out
of every year.
Water scarcity involves water stress or deficits, water shortage, and water crisis.
Water stress: a condition of an area where a lot of issues turn up because of the water
unavailability or water scarcity or safe water shortage due to contamination.

Water shortage: When there is a shortage in the supply of a particular type of water source. It
could be drinking, irrigation or commercial .

Water crisis: When the water is not available, the situation has become so difficult that many
other functions of state and government is getting affected because of this situation.
The Ethiopian Condition
• Ethiopia is “endowed” with a substantial amount of water resources-considered to be “the
water tower of the Horn of Africa”.
• The country is divided into 12 basins; 8 of which are river basins; 1 lake basin; and
remaining 3 are dry basins, with no or insignificant flow out of the drainage system.
• Although it needs further detailed investigation, according to the current knowledge, the
country has about:
• 124.4 billion cubic meter (BCM) river water,
• 70 BCM lake water, and
• 30 BCM ground water resources.
• The country has the potential to develop 3.8 million ha of land with irrigation and
generate 45,000MW hydropower production

This potential is not fully utilized and translated into development because of many factors
including limited financial resources, technical challenges, and lack of good governance in the
water sector.
Water as an economic good
• An economic good is a good or service that has a benefit (utility) to society.
• An economic good is a commodity that has an economic value when people are willing to pay
for it, rather than go without
• Also economic goods have a degree of scarcity and therefore an opportunity cost.
This is in contrast to a free good (like air, sea water) where there is no opportunity cost – but
abundance.
Free goods cannot be traded because nobody living by the sea would buy seawater – there
is no point.
• However, with economic goods where there is some scarcity and value, people will be willing
to pay for them. It is the scarcity that creates a value people become willing to pay for.
• Water is an essential commodity, so the value of a small/basic amount for survival is
infinite-people would pay any price.
This is not useful information for policymakers.

• But after basic needs are met, people buy water based on its price compared to other goods
they might buy.
Characteristics of water making it a special economic good (Savenije, 2002)
• Water is essential: There is no life without water, no economic production, no environment. There
is no human activity that does not depend on water. It is a vital resource.
• Water is non-substitutable: There is no alternative for water.
• Water is finite: The amount of water available is limited by the amount of water that circulates
through the atmosphere on an annual basis.
• Water is fugitive: Water flows under gravity. If we don't capture it it's gone. The availability of the
water varies over time and so does the demand for water.
• Water is bulky: Although water is essential for almost any economic activity, there are not many
examples of water being transported over any considerable distance, particularly not against the
force of gravity.
• Water is a system: The annual water cycle from rainfall to runoff is a complex system where
several processes are interconnected and interdependent with only one direction of flow:
downstream.
Definition of a System
• Any structure or device, including different interactive components (real or abstract), that
causes an output reference to a specific input in a given time can be called a system.
• It is a collection (group) of components that are related to each other in an organized manner
and that have their own boundaries that separate them from the surrounding.

Inputs Outputs
System

Specifications of systems can be classified as:

 Inputs
 Governing physical laws
 Initial and boundary conditions
 Outputs

Inputs are related to the objective of the system: Irrigation, Domestic use, Hydroelectric,
Transportation….
Inputs, outputs, and major characteristics of the systems are usually defined by variables and
parameters.
• A variable is a system characteristic that assumes different values measured at different times.
Examples: inflow, outflow….
• A parameter is also a system characteristic, but it normally does not change with time.
Examples: reservoir capacity….

Different values of variables can be viewed as possible states of the nature or as alternative futures.
Examples: the amount of water stored in a reservoir at the end of a month is a function
of variables

Examples of water resources systems: Hydrologic cycle, reservoir, river basin……

Regulating systems (eg, reservoirs), distribution systems (Pipes, canals…), disposal and/or
recycling systems,…
The common characteristics of any system in general and water resources systems specifically
can be summarized as follows:

• All systems have some structure and organization.

• Systems are all generalizations, abstractions, or idealizations of the real world with
different levels of complexities.
• Functional and structural relationships exist between components of the system.
• All systems show some degree of integration.
• Input-output relations and the nature of them are important characteristics of systems.

Each water resources system consists of different elements of two distinct environments:

• one is a physical, chemical, and biological environment and

• the second is a cultural environment with social, political, economic, and technological
dimensions
Definitions of terminologies
Management: the attainment of organizational goals and objectives in an effective and efficient
manner through planning, organizing, leading and controlling the organizational resources
(Malano & van Hofwegen, 1999).

Water Resources Management (WRM): water resources development, utilization, conservation,

protection and control that incorporate physical, social, economic as well as environmental
interdependence that aim at optimizing the available natural water flows, including surface water
and groundwater, to satisfy these competing needs (MoWR, 2001).

Water Resource Development: the implementation of Physical activities to improve the

beneficial use of water for different uses (MoWR, 2001).

Also refers to the infrastructure, governance and management measures required to control
fresh water to meet human demands for food and energy and environmental needs (van der Hoek,
2004).
Planning: the process of collecting and analyzing data and evaluating management measures in
order to achieve the objectives within prescribed timescales.

Planning for sustainable development of water resources means:

• Water conservation,
• Waste and leakage prevention,
• Improved efficiency of water systems,
• Improved water quality,
• Water withdrawal and usage within the limits of the system,
• A level of water pollution within the carrying capacity of the streams, and
• Water discharge from groundwater within the safe yield of the system.

In other words, we are seeking a balance among our physical being, our ability to manage our
resources, and the limitations imposed by the environment.
The importance of water resources development studies
To meet water needs as a result of population growth, improved living standard,
establishment of industries, irrigation projects…
To bring diversity in water resource use (economic, environmental…)
• Land (particularly soil and vegetation) degradation
• Water and air quality deterioration
• Flooding, water logging….
To improve income of the society
To improve/upgrade existing projects (extent, technology, …)
…and so many others…

In general:
Water resources are analyzed as a system by using physical, economic and sociologic
system analyses methods
Study questions

1. Define “Integrated Water Resources Management” and identify what distinguishes it from
“Sustainable Water Resources Management”.
2. Identify some common irrigation water management issues (problems/challenges) in
Ethiopia.
3. Define “system”, “system analysis” and describe the concept of system.
4. Identify the objectives of water resources planning.