Work

Water allocation leveraging multi-reservoir operation for arid basins with high conveyance losses: Trade-off between efficiency and equity

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Balancing efficiency and equity in water allocation remains a major challenge in water-scarce arid basins, especially due to substantial conveyance losses along natural river channels. A key objective is to ensure equitable water supply between upstream and downstream users while reducing evaporation and seepage losses during long-distance conveyance, thereby improving overall water use efficiency. This study develops a water allocation model that balances efficiency and equity by leveraging multi-reservoir cooperation in arid basins with high conveyance losses. Three water allocation scenarios are designed: efficiency-prioritized, equity-prioritized, and a balanced approach integrating both objectives. The Tarim River Basin, the largest inland river basin in China, is selected as the study area. Results indicate that the efficiency-prioritized scenario yields the lowest annual basin-wide irrigation shortage (6 × 10 8 m 3 ), but suffers from extreme spatial disparities, with shortage rate differences reaching 30.1% among irrigation districts. Conversely, while the equity-prioritized scenario achieves absolute fairness, it increases conveyance losses to 67 × 10 8 m 3 (26% of total basin inflow). This leads to a 69.8% surge in total water shortages compared to the efficiency scenario, signaling a sharp decline in overall efficiency. The balanced approach offers a viable compromise, maintaining a moderate shortage rate difference of 8.6% while keeping conveyance losses at 63.66 × 10 8 m 3 . Based on these results, this study proposes two management recommendations for water allocation in arid basins with high conveyance losses: (i) each user should prioritize water from the nearest river section to reduce conveyance losses, and (ii) for users served by multiple sources, priority should be given to rivers with lower conveyance loss rates. These findings provide a practical framework for water resources management in arid basins affected by high conveyance losses.

Source: Ecological Indicators

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115508

Authors: Aijun Guo, Hongjiang Zhu, Jianxia Chang, Yimin Wang, Xiaoya Deng, Xuebin Wang

Institutions: Xi'an University of Technology, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, State Key Laboratory of Basin Water Cycle Simulation and Regulation

Language: English

Topic: Water resources management and optimization

Subfield: Water Science and Technology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Clean water and sanitation, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,650