Sustainable Engineering Practices in Water Resources Management in Euphrates River Basin: Western part of Iraq as a case Study

Abstract

The Upper Euphrates region in Anbar Province, western Iraq, represents the starting point for entering the Euphrates River into Iraq. It was chosen as a case study for the subject of water management as a result of water shortages in it due to the water policies of the upstream countries that led to the reduction of Iraq's share of the Euphrates River. In addition to climate change, and poor management of water resources. The main objective of this study is to predict future water demand and to identify the best management practices for achieving water sustainability. Furthermore, knowing whether the incoming quantities of water are sufficient for the consuming sectors or not. To achieve the objective of the study, the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model was used to estimate water demand and deficit ratios. The WEAP model provided the best scenario for eliminating the deficit. The model was simulated for the period from 2015 to 2035, which is the year that the drought is expected to happen. The representation of the study area in the WEAP model requires defining the study area, water supply sources, water demand points, water transmission lines from the source to the consumption sites, and return lines. Then the water budget was calculated by WEAP model to assess the water situation in the study area. The results of the reference scenario showed an increase in water demand from (100) MCM in 2015 to (400) MCM in the year 2035 with the emergence of a water deficit that expected to be 38 MCM in 2035. Alternative scenarios were proposed to solve the water deficit problem. The scenario of adopting modern irrigation methods reduces the water deficit from (38 to 2.9) MCM when increasing irrigation efficiency by 20%. While all water demand was met when raising the irrigation efficiency by 30%. On the other hand, the scenario of using the groundwater as a water source contributed to reducing the water deficit in wet years from (38 to 16) MCM, and in dry years from (38 to 26) MCM. Another solution that reduced the water deficit from (38 to 35) MCM was the reuse of wastewater. As for the increase in water fees scenarios, this option reduces the water deficit by (13) MCM. So, it is recommended to use the WEAP by water policymaker for better water management.