Implementing integrated water resources management in the biggest catchments
of IRAN.
Heidari A., Bozorgzadeh E., Rezaee N. and Ghiasvand G.
Iran Water and Power resources development Co (IWPC)
Abstract
Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is one of the fundamental
elements of sustainable development of water resources projects. This approach is
highly recommended due to high benefits despite of very low costs in complicated
catchments with enormous hydro infrastructures such as dams, hydro power plants,
water conveys and so on. IWRM is being implemented in three big catchments of
IRAN named Dez, Karun and Karkheh where accommodated most of the large dams,
hydro power plant and water convey projects. Water resources development is being
investigated in different aspects such as integrated planning of infrastructures, flood
forecasting and reservoir flood control, emergency action plan and so on. In the
integrated planning, following targets are perused: 1) evaluation of negative and
positive impacts of each project on the other projects and downstream area from
different aspects, 2)assessment of mutually exclusive alternatives and selecting the
best alternative of development , 3)optimization of dam height, hydro power
capacities, spillway capacities and so on based on overall benefits of river system,
4)evaluation of water convey projects, identifying compensation plan in downstream
areas and reengineering of under operation and construction projects as well,
5)developing Decision Support System (DSS) in the catchments
Flood forecasting project focuses on weather and hydrological forecast of flood in real
time situation and optimal policy of dam release during flood occurrence. Weather
forecast and hydrologic simulation are carried out by local numerical model and HEC
models. In addition to simulation of flood inundation areas, an effective emergency
action plan would be implemented for three big catchments with more than 10 large
dams. GIS and RS are the essential elements of IWRM and are carried out along with
other parts of project. This paper clarifies necessities, targets and policies of each part
of studies and implementation priorities of each element.
Key words: IWRM, Planning, Flood forecast, DSS