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Using the SWAT model to assess the impacts of changing irrigation from surface to pressurized systems on water productivity and water saving in the Zarrineh Rud catchment

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  • Ahmadzadeh, Hojat
  • Morid, Saeed
  • Delavar, Majid
  • Srinivasan, Raghavan

Abstract

Considering global water scarcity, especially in the agricultural sector, many attempts are being made to improve water productivity and save more water. Changing irrigation systems from surface to pressurized has been one of the considerable actions in this regard. However, any attempts to do so must be evaluated in an integrated perspective at the basin level by means of relevant agro-hydrological models before making them operational. This paper aims to address this issue by using the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT). Zarrineh Rud River, the main feeding river of northwest Iran’s Lake Urmia, is selected as the case study for exploring this methodology. This lake has been shrinking since 1995, and to save water and increase the basin’s water productivity, improvement of pressurized systems is considered as a solution. SWAT cannot directly simulate changing the irrigation system from surface to pressurized. In this study, we use the innovative approach of applying the model to simulate different irrigation systems considering real irrigation management variables such as depth and date of each irrigation event. Also, in order to improve its performance in simulation of such systems, a comprehensive calibration procedure was used based on a wide range of data for hydrological and agricultural variables. The results showed that changing the current irrigation to a pressurized system can increase water productivity up to 15% due to increases in crop yield, better water distribution and greater actual evapotranspiration. However, pressurized irrigation results in no significant change in total inflow to the lake. Notably, these systems can intensify drawdown of the basin’s water table up to 20%. So, any significant “real water saving” program in the basin must be associated with reduction of evapotranspiration by adopting measures like reducing cultivated areas, changing cropping patterns to less water consuming plants, or applying deficit irrigation. The applied methodology of this paper as well as the comprehensive calibration and setup of the SWAT model with the readily available hydrological and agricultural variables can be a good sample for similar works. However, further work is still needed to more broadly test this approach in areas with intensive irrigation systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Ahmadzadeh, Hojat & Morid, Saeed & Delavar, Majid & Srinivasan, Raghavan, 2016. "Using the SWAT model to assess the impacts of changing irrigation from surface to pressurized systems on water productivity and water saving in the Zarrineh Rud catchment," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 15-28.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:175:y:2016:i:c:p:15-28
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2015.10.026
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    5. Farzad Emami & Manfred Koch, 2018. "Agricultural Water Productivity-Based Hydro-Economic Modeling for Optimal Crop Pattern and Water Resources Planning in the Zarrine River Basin, Iran, in the Wake of Climate Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-32, October.
    6. Dehghanipour, Amir Hossein & Zahabiyoun, Bagher & Schoups, Gerrit & Babazadeh, Hossein, 2019. "A WEAP-MODFLOW surface water-groundwater model for the irrigated Miyandoab plain, Urmia lake basin, Iran: Multi-objective calibration and quantification of historical drought impacts," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 1-1.
    7. Zhao, Xueyin & Zhou, Sihang & Tang, Chi & Chen, Zumei & Yang, Yang & Wu, Conglin & Cui, Yuanlai & Luo, Yufeng, 2026. "Optimal regulation pattern of water resources in a multi-source irrigation system in southern China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    8. Manfei Zhang & Xiao Wang & Weibo Zhou, 2021. "Effects of Water-Saving Irrigation on Hydrological Cycle in an Irrigation District of Northern China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-19, July.
    9. Xiong, Lvyang & Xu, Xu & Engel, Bernard & Xiong, Yunwu & Huang, Quanzhong & Huang, Guanhua, 2021. "Predicting agroecosystem responses to identify appropriate water-saving management in arid irrigated regions with shallow groundwater: Realization on a regional scale," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 247(C).
    10. Jalal Mirnezami, S. & Molle, François & Talebi Eskandari, Soroush, 2024. "Chronicle of a disaster foretold: The politics of restoring Lake Urmia (Iran)," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    11. Ahmadzadeh, Hojat & Mansouri, Bahareh & Fathian, Farshad & Vaheddoost, Babak, 2022. "Assessment of water demand reliability using SWAT and RIBASIM models with respect to climate change and operational water projects," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    12. Dechmi, Farida & Skhiri, Ahmed & Isidoro, Daniel, 2021. "Modeling environmental impact in a semi-arid intensive irrigated watershed," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    13. Evelyn Corona-López & Alma D. Román-Gutiérrez & Elena M. Otazo-Sánchez & Fabiola A. Guzmán-Ortiz & Otilio A. Acevedo-Sandoval, 2021. "Water–Food Nexus Assessment in Agriculture: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-14, May.
    14. Almahawis, Mohammed K. & Bailey, Ryan T. & Abbas, Salam A. & Arnold, Jeffrey G. & White, Michael J., 2024. "Investigating the impact of irrigation practices on hydrologic fluxes in a highly managed river basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).

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