Water scarcity management: Part 1: Methodological framework

Abstract

Water scarcity and water availability puts significant constraints in the social and economic development of many regions and countries around the world, especially the arid and semi-arid regions, as well as deteriorates the quality of life. The current problem of water scarcity consists of the adverse result of ineffective water resource management and policies, as well as the availability of water in these regions. This paper presents a methodological overview of a sustainable water resource management framework through technical and scientific analyses of water scarcity management in regions vulnerable to drought and water scarcity. The methodological framework consists of procedures, including database development, climate variability and modelling, water quantity and quality modelling, a summary of hierarchical drought analysis, water demands assessment. In case of significant reduction in water availability, the analyses are expected to explore alternative water resource solutions, such as non-conventional measures related to marginal waters, including rain enhancement, desalination, water treatment and reuse potential, water harvesting, trends and practices under drought and water scarcity conditions. Once the water demands are assessed, a water resource management scheme is implemented, along with an economic model to evaluate the economic feasibility of the management scenarios. Copyright © 2018 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.