Optimal water allocation for Sufi-chay irrigation and drainage network in East Azerbaijan province of Iran using genetic algorithm

Due to water use increasing، attention to optimal water resources allocation is needed. In Iran، due to lack of rainfall in most watersheds and limitation of water resource، planning is very essential and inevitable to identify facilities and the limitation with the aim of optimum operation. In recent decades، the use of intelligent evolutionary methods for optimization of water allocation was more focused by researchers. Genetic algorithm is one of the new optimization methods which were more applied for complex and nonlinear problems. In this research، Alavian dam and Sufi-chay irrigation and drainage network in downstream of dam was considered. The agricultural lands include four regions with different areas. The results indicated that the difference between the average amount of allocated and optimized water in various regions was equal to 2. 1 MCM per year. The average area under cultivation from actual values was 3 percent more than predicted values of water resources. Based on optimal cultivated areas، the benefit from sailing agricultural product has oscillation and does not specific trend.