Sustainable water resources management in the wider hydrological basin of Volos

Abstract

The holistic theory is a basic concept in Water Resources Management, when subject to Sustainable Development principles. It refers to an integrated management and coordination of the entirety of the actions and interventions, which regard the water ecosystem or parts of it, within a hydrological basin. This procedure is accomplished through the development and application of an overall Management Plan at a hydrological basin level. This concept was followed by the water resources management plan of the hydrological basin of the wider Volos area, which will be presented in this paper. The main objective is the choice of the best set, among others, of hydraulic projects, which will be able to reestablish the balance in today's deficient basin's water volumetric budget (future demand included). The decision making was based on a GIS tool and concerned the traditional water capture hydraulic projects on the one hand and the sustainable water saving measures on the other.