Effect of Inter basin Water Transfer on the Economic Value of Agricultural Water Resources (Case Study: Arak Plain)

In this paper, the effect of inter-basin water transfer on the economic value of water resources has been investigated through a case-study of the Kamal Saleh dam from the Sarband Basin to the central Arak Basin. For this purpose, by using the mathematical model developed in this research, the economic value of agricultural water was investigated without regard to transferred water resources and considering its impact for wheat, barley, alfalfa and corn. The input data for this study was included meteorological and agricultural information, volume of consumed water, wastewater volume, volume of water transfer from Kamal Saleh Dam, as well as information about costs and incomes of the crop year 2015-2016. The results showed that water transfer to Arak city would increase the economic value of agricultural water resources in this city. So, the economic value of water estimated from three methods including weighing the area under cultivation, the volume of water consumption and product income for increasing crop area of corn were increased 10, 7.5 and 9 percentage, respectively . In addition, by increasing crop area of alfalfa the economic value of water estimated from all three methods was increased 2%. Increasing the economic value of water resources can be one of the solutions to sustainable development and food security. However, inter-basin water transfer projects should be implemented with all technical and economic and environmental factors, with emphasis on social and political considerations.