Optimal Implementation of Irrigation Practices: Cost-Effective Desertification Action Plan for the Pinios Basin

• Published in: Journal of water resources planning and management 2014-10, Vol.140 (10)
• Main Authors: Panagopoulos, Y, Makropoulos, C, Kossida, M, Mimikou, M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Case Studies; Case Study
• ISSN: 0733-9496; 1943-5452
• DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000428

AbstractThe effort to manage irrigation water use through the adoption and implementation of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) is crucial for meeting water bodies’ sustainability in water-deficient agricultural areas. This paper presents the development of an efficient decision support tool able to suggest the optimal location for placing high- and low-tech irrigation BMPs, such as deficit irrigation, conveyance efficiency improvement, precision irrigation, and wastewater reuse, and demonstrates its application in the water-scarce Pinios river basin in central Greece. The tool uses the SWAT (soil and water assessment tool) model as the BMP and hydrologic simulator and a multiobjective genetic algorithm, which, based on calculated cost data, optimizes the cost-effectiveness of management schemes across the landscape. From the analysis of the results produced and the optimal river basin BMP configurations under the current and a volumetric water pricing scenario and under a ±25% variation of the cost parameters, the study concludes that a number of different BMPs at an affordable implementation cost, along with a tiered water pricing system that could address socioeconomic heterogeneities, would form a sustainable action plan against desertification in the highly water-deficient Pinios basin. The methodology and tool are considered to be easily applicable in other river basins and could be used to assist in more cost-effective implementation of environmental legislation.