Synergies and Trade-Offs in Water Resources Management in the Bafing Watershed under Climate Change

Abstract

Hydropower is the world’s largest and most widely used renewable energy source. It is expected that climate and land use changes, as well as hydraulic engineering measures, will have profound impacts on future hydropower potential. In this study, the hydropower potential of the Bafing watershed was estimated for the near future (P1: 2035–2065) and the far future (P2: 2065–2095). For this purpose, the moderate scenario ssp 126 and the medium–high scenario ssp 370 were used to explore possible climate impacts. In three management scenarios, we tested the interaction of the existing Manantali Dam with two planned dams (Koukoutamba and Boureya) using an ecohydrological water management model. The results show that, under ssp 126, a 6% increase in annual river flow would result in a 3% increase in hydropower potential in the near future compared with the historical period of 1984–2014. In the far future, the annual river flow would decrease by 6%, resulting in an 8% decrease in hydropower potential. Under ssp 370, the hydropower potential would decrease by 0.7% and 14% in the near and far future, respectively. The investment in the planned dams has benefits, such as an increase in hydropower potential and improved flood protection. However, the dams will be negatively affected by climate change in the future (except in the near future (P1) under ssp 126), and their operation will result in hydropower potential losses of about 11% at the Manantali Dam. Therefore, to mitigate the effects of climate change and adjust the operation of the three dams, it is essential to develop new adaptation measures through an optimization program or an energy mix combining hydro, solar, and wind power.

Water Resources Management under Climate Change: A Review

“…Water Resource Management with integrated strategies needs to be implemented and supported from a holistic point of view with different adaptation strategies, such as water storage and green infrastructures, agricultural practices, water governance and policies, disaster risk reduction, and economic diversification [40] (Table S1: 24, 102, 116); programs to optimize the use of hydroelectric energy and energy mixes that combine energies (i.e., hydroelectric, solar, and wind energy) [41], distribution efficiency, leakage control, and pressure management; and influencing demand where physical, biological, chemical, and socio-economic aspects and their interconnections are taken into consideration [16,20,21] (Table S1: 32). Integrated Water Resources Management also has the purpose to avoid the degradation of natural resources and ecosystems to obtain sustainable development with long-term productivity for the economic growth and in support of ecosystem services.…”

“…Over time, several solutions were proposed to counteract or to adapt to climate changes, such as integration of measures of climate resilience through water safety plans and water resources management, strictly connected with policy prescriptions and new technological solutions (e.g., wastewater treatment, pumping efficiency, and renewable sources) [19] (Table S1: 16,18,40,48,69,78). Therefore, it seemed likely that adaptive management, integrated freshwater resources management, social learning, and resilience thinking have to be the new paradigms related to political and institutional practices and national-international laws [20] (Table S1: 20,41,44,47,64,83,121).…”

Optimizing Solution in Decision Supporting System for River Basin Management Consisting of a Reservoir System

“…This has a significant effect, particularly on water resources. Currently, water resources are deteriorating in both quantity and quality [1][2][3][4]. Therefore, planning and administration are important tools in supporting effective management solutions, as well as choosing the right solution to the right problem or situation.…”

“…The nominal storage capacity and dead storage capacity are reported as 2431 MCM and 581.67 MCM, respectively. The water surface area at normal storage is 137.90 km 2 . The downstream water demands from the reservoir are electricity generation, irrigation, flood control, industrial demand, domestic water supply, and environmental conservation.…”