Specifics of the Availability of Water Resources for Agricultural Water Supply under Changing Climate Conditions in the Ural River Basin

• Published in: Water resources Vol. 51; no. 5; pp. 618 - 629
• Main Authors: Isaeva, S. D., Dedova, E. B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01.10.2024
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Hydroecological Conditions in the Ural River Basin and the Potential of Sustainable Management of Its Water Resources; Hydrogeology; Hydrology/Water Resources; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; agriculture; melioration; hydromelioration systems; ecosystem water use; ecological risk; melioration-water management complex
• ISSN: 0097-8078; 1608-344X
• DOI: 10.1134/S0097807824700970

The importance of the study is determined by the need to increase water availability for the agroindustrial complex and rural population with the aim to create conditions for sustainable water use, protect water resources, and reduce ecological–economic risks in the territory of the Ural River basin, taking into account trends in climate changes. The specific features of natural and irrigation–economic factors in the formation of water resources in the territory of the transboundary basin of the Ural River (the Republic of Bashkortostan, Chelyabinsk and Orenburg regions) were analyzed and showed a steady rise of air temperature in the recent 30–130 years. Assessment of the current state of water bodies, the operation regimes of hydroengineering structures, and the ecological conditions of ameliorated lands in the area of 140 thousand ha revealed the deterioration of the technical conditions of amelioration systems due to physical wear and tear. Water balance in the drainage area of the transboundary basin of the Ural River under natural conditions and under irrigation, as well as specific features of agricultural water supply were analyzed. The types of ecological hazard are considered, which can cause economic risks at water use, including possible deficiency of water resources, groundwater level rise, land underflooding, secondary salinization, alkalinization, and diffuse pollution of water bodies. Relationships are given for calculating single-time risks, e.g., flooding with water from catastrophic floods, and permanent risks, such as secondary salinization, alkalinization, underflooding, etc. A relationship is proposed for integral estimation of the space and time development of ecological-economic risks. The studies aimed to reveal ecologically hazardous processes, associated with the use of water resources within the Russian part of the Ural River basin enabled formulating proposals for reducing risks and increasing the operation stability of amelioration and water management systems.