Comparison of WEAP and MIKE BASIN models in water resources allocation (Case Study: Tlavar river)

Water resources scarcity and increasing demand have led to unbalanced supply-demand in the watersheds and water systems. Therefore, planning for efficient allocation has been a matter of importance. To resolve water allocation problems, various models and tools have been developed. Selection of these models is also another issue that needs to be done by an holistic approach. WEAP and MIKE BASIN are two of the well known models in this regard and comparison of their abilities construct objective of the present paper. To do this, capabilities and features of the two models were firstly outlined. Then in two assumptive examples, models were compared based on priority-base allocation and reservoir operation. Furthermore, models ran for a part of Talvar River as one of the main tributaries of the Ghezelozan River. This system consists of ten water demand nodes (domestic and agriculture) and three reservoirs. The results showed that in the priority-base allocation the performances were different, but they were identical in the operation rules and reservoir simulation. The results of reliability index showed that MIKE BASIN simulation matched better with reality due to their ability to extract more water. While, WEAP showed better results for optimization and even distribution of deficits among nodes.