Role of Non-Conventional Waters in Arid Regions from an Integrated Water Resources Management Perspective

To assess the role of non-conventional water in arid regions, an Operational toolbox was designed comprising an integrated allocation model and a decision support module. The Water Evaluation And Planning System (WEAP) was used to define and calibrate the existing conditions. Possible scenarios for water supply (including conventional and non-conventional water) and consumptions (including drinking, agriculture and industry) where examined under current and potential future scenarios. A multiple attribute decision-making tool was utilised to rank various scenarios. The toolbox was used in an arid catchment of Iran, where indiscriminate use of conventional water resources, has posed a dominating water shortage.The results of the various scenarios showed that there is no scope to increase in agriculture allocation while the industrial allocation may be increased provided the non-conventional water is utilised to a certain extent. The results obtained from the toolbox has indicated that water transfer from other catchments is not an attractive option compared to the use of non-conventional water The results imply the effective role of recycling for the industrial water allocation, and desalination for the drinking water supply management.