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Water demand and flows in the São Francisco River Basin (Brazil) with increased irrigation

Author

Listed:
  • Maneta, M.P.
  • Torres, M.
  • Wallender, W.W.
  • Vosti, S.
  • Kirby, M.
  • Bassoi, L.H.
  • Rodrigues, L.N.

Abstract

Most activities that support economic growth in the São Francisco River Basin (Brazil) need water. Allocation of the water resources to each competing use needs quantification in order to develop an integrated water management plan. Irrigation agriculture is the largest water consuming activity in the basin. It has produced large economic and social advancements in the region and has potential for further development. The local development agency in the São Francisco River has projected an increase of more than 500,000ha in irrigation developments distributed within the basin. Water requirements of the projected irrigation expansions and their effects on river flow were quantified. A semi-distributed model was constructed to simulate the water balance in 16 watersheds within the basin. The watersheds were hydrologically characterized by the average precipitation, atmospheric demand and runoff as well as their variability. Water requirements for increased irrigated agriculture were calculated using an agronomic mass balance. A Monte Carlo procedure generated the variability of irrigation requirements and resulting decreased river flows from the multidimensional probability distribution of the hydrologic variables of each watershed. Irrigation requirements were found to be more variable during the wet season because of weather variability. In contrast to what might be expected, in drier years, irrigation requirements were often larger during the wet season than in the dry season because the cropped area is largest in the wet months and variability of precipitation is greater. Increased irrigation shifted downward the distribution of river flows but not enough to affect other strategic water uses such as hydropower. Further irrigation expansion may be limited by wet season flows.

Suggested Citation

  • Maneta, M.P. & Torres, M. & Wallender, W.W. & Vosti, S. & Kirby, M. & Bassoi, L.H. & Rodrigues, L.N., 2009. "Water demand and flows in the São Francisco River Basin (Brazil) with increased irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(8), pages 1191-1200, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:96:y:2009:i:8:p:1191-1200
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Rebecka Törnqvist & Jerker Jarsjö, 2012. "Water Savings Through Improved Irrigation Techniques: Basin-Scale Quantification in Semi-Arid Environments," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 26(4), pages 949-962, March.
    2. Daniel S. Silva & Eugenio Y. Arima, 2023. "Sustainability Consequences of Making Land Change Decisions Based on Current Climatology in the Brazilian Cerrados," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-18, April.
    3. Althoff, Daniel & Rodrigues, Lineu Neiva & da Silva, Demetrius David & Bazame, Helizani Couto, 2019. "Improving methods for estimating small reservoir evaporation in the Brazilian Savanna," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 216(C), pages 105-112.
    4. Hagel, Heinrich & Hoffmann, Christa & Doluschitz, Reiner, 2014. "Mathematical Programming Models to Increase Land and Water Use Efficiency in Semi-arid NE-Brazil," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 5(4), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Andrés A. Salazar & Eduardo C. Arellano & Andrés Muñoz-Sáez & Marcelo D. Miranda & Fabiana Oliveira da Silva & Natalia B. Zielonka & Liam P. Crowther & Vinina Silva-Ferreira & Patricia Oliveira-Rebouc, 2021. "Restoration and Conservation of Priority Areas of Caatinga’s Semi-Arid Forest Remnants Can Support Connectivity within an Agricultural Landscape," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-20, May.

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