Modelling water resources for planning irrigation development in drought-prone southern Chile
Jul 17, 2020·,,,,·
1 min read
Ian McNamara
Alexandra Nauditt
Mauricio Zambrano-Bigiarini
Lars Ribbe
Hamish Hann
Abstract
To foster poverty reduction in drought-prone Araucanía, the Chilean Irrigation Commission is planning an important expansion of irrigated areas. Scenarios incorporating climate change (2030–2059) were simulated for a pilot basin using the WEAP water allocation model, showing that larger irrigated areas, coupled with higher temperatures and less precipitation, are likely to cause severe seasonal water scarcity. As decision support for the planning of effective measures to increase drought resilience, we modelled the construction of two upstream reservoirs combined with higher irrigation efficiency. We find that unmet water demand can be reduced by up to 97.7% by these measures.
Type
Publication
International Journal of Water Resources Development
Main conclusions
- To reduce poverty in drought-prone Araucanía, Chile plans to expand irrigated agriculture.
- However, modelling future climate conditions shows that more irrigation, combined with rising temperatures and declining rainfall, could intensify seasonal water scarcity.
- Using a basin-scale water allocation model, this study evaluates adaptation options.
- Results indicate that building two upstream reservoirs and improving irrigation efficiency could cut unmet water demand by up to 98%, offering a pathway to strengthen drought resilience while supporting rural development.
Citation:
McNamara, I., Nauditt, A., Zambrano-Bigiarini, M., Ribbe, L., & Hann, H. (2020). Modelling water resources for planning irrigation development in drought-prone southern Chile. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 1. https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2020.1768828
