Hydro-Economic Modeling in the Analysis of Water Resources Management Strategies: Neyshabur Catchment

Complex management of water resources requires the application of a different perspective technical, economic, environmental and social that it requires considering the needs of all beneficiaries. The main objective of this study is to introduce hydro-economic model and modeling it in one of the country's catchment for analyzing water resources management policies. For this purpose, climatic and meteorological data and also interviews and questionnaires completed by farmer's Neyshabur catchment were used. Hydro-economic modeling composed of two main parts: hydrologic and economic. WEAP model was used in hydrological sector and regional (spatial) positive programming was used in economical sector. Strategies used in this study consists of three main scenarios were considered reducing the availability of water resources in agriculture that their impact on cropping pattern and then change the crop pattern on water resources were examined. The results of economic sector in hydro-economic model showed that most affected by the implementation of various policy scenarios is related to the first region, so that the cultivation levels was decreased about 13.4 percent in first scenario, 20.59 percent in second scenario and 29.11 percent in third scenario. In hydrologic sector of hydro-economic model, changes in cropping pattern on consumption of water resources based on different scenarios were simulated using WEAP model. The results showed that the greatest impact on reducing water consumption was related to the third scenario that the main reason for the change is reducing the area under cultivation of various crops. Also implementation of various scenarios on water allocation between the main applicants influenced water and causing the unmet supply reduced in three sectors of agriculture, industry and drinking in the years 2013-2035.