Using the Prey-Predator Equation for the Water Allocation Problem and Its Comparison with Conventional Water Allocation Methods, A Case Study of The Atrak River Basin

Allocating the water resources in a basin to several stakeholders is a common issue at both national and international levels. Despite the many extensive studies carried out on the water allocation problem, a method still needs to be developed for the equitable and sustainable allocation of water to all the stakeholders in a shared basin. Over the last few decades, a number of mathematical methods such as the Nash bargaining, area monotonic, equal loss, and Kalai-Smorodinsky solutions have been applied to the problem of conflict resolution that are collectively known as optimization methods, each one yielding a single solution. In this study, a novel mathematical model based on the prey-predator equation is employed for water allocation to resolve conflicts among stakeholders in the agricultural sector. The advantage of the proposed model lies in its capability to calculate balanced allocation of irrigation water to stakeholders aimed at the sustainable development of the region. The model calculates the stakeholders’ profits and payoffs and determines their interactions in a time series. Finally, the model is employed for resolving conflicts in the Atrak River basin in the northeast of Iran which is now facing a serious water tension. Comparison of the results obtained from the proposed model and those from four conventional conflict resolution methods applied to the same basin implies the superiority of the proposed model in yielding dynamic solutions rather single ones.