Quantifying the mutual effects of water trading and systematic water saving in a water-scarce watershed of China

• Published in: Water research (Oxford) Vol. 257; p. 121712
• Main Authors: Chen, Mingshuai, Zhang, Junlong, Wang, Taishan, Wu, Kexin, You, Li, Sun, Jing, Li, Yue, Li, Yongping, Huang, Guohe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15.06.2024
• Subjects: Agricultural Irrigation; China; Conservation of Natural Resources; Conservation of Water Resources - methods; Models, Theoretical; Mutual effect; Rivers; Stochastic uncertainties; Systematic water saving; Water Resources; Water resources management; Water rights trading; Water Supply; China; Stochastic uncertainties; Water resources management; Mutual effect; Water rights trading; Systematic water saving
• DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121712
• ISSN: 0043-1354

•Water saving would reduce the quantity of initial water rights.•Water saving decreases demand and supply of water right, shrinking market size.•Water trading would reduce water-saving quantity flowing to enterprise.•Most saved water should be allocated for groundwater and surface water replenishment.•Mechanism with water saving and trading is optimal according to system performance. In this study, a conjunctive water management model based on interval stochastic bi-level programming method (CM-ISBP) is proposed for planning water trading program as well as quantifying mutual effects of water trading and systematic water saving. CM-ISBP incorporates water resources assessment with soil and water assessment tool (SWAT), systematic water-saving simulation combined with water trading, and interval stochastic bi-level programming (ISBP) within a general framework. Systematic water saving involves irrigation water-saving technologies (sprinkler irrigation, micro-irrigation, low-pressure pipe irrigation), enterprise water-saving potential and water-saving subsidy. The CM-ISBP is applied to a real case of a water-scarce watershed (i.e. Dagu River watershed, China). Mutual effects of water trading and water-saving activities are simulated with model establishment and quantified through mechanism analysis. The fate of saved water under the systematic water saving is also revealed. The coexistence of the two systems would increase system benefits by [11.89, 12.19]%, and increase the water use efficiency by [40.04, 40.46]%. Thus mechanism that couples water trading and water saving is optimal and recommended according to system performance. [Display omitted]