A Decision Support System for Water Resources Management: The Case Study of Mubuku Irrigation Scheme, Uganda

Luisa Bettili, Eva Pek and Maher Salman
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Luisa Bettili: Engineering Department, University of Roma Tre, via Vito Volterra 62, 00146 Rome, Italy
Eva Pek: Land and Water Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
Maher Salman: Land and Water Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 22, 1-19

Abstract: The greater competing demand for water requires an efficient use of water resources. Therefore, an optimum management is necessary in order to deal with the constraining factors. In African countries, irrigated agriculture is the largest user of surface water resources. Nevertheless, recent assessments in small-scale surface irrigation schemes resulted in poor performance indicators: Water use efficiency indicators of existing schemes are below 50 percent, owing to inadequate management modes. The paper sheds the light on the potential development of a decision-support system based knowledge with the Mapping System and Services for Canal Operation Techniques approach, merged with the MIKEHydro Basin model as a versatile and flexible framework conceived for a large variety of applications in small-scale irrigation. The model aims to improve water service, increase irrigation efficiency, comply with socio-economic objectives at country level. In order to address the prevailing heterogeneity of small-scale irrigation scheme, numerous variables are adjusted in the model, in terms of cropping patterns, climate data, and irrigation time. The evaluation of established water balance under different scenarios showed that tackling supply-driven scheduling and distributive issues significantly increases efficiency. Nevertheless, water allocation according to socio-economic objectives of food security and market security implies trading off the efficiency objectives.

Keywords: water resources management; sustainable water allocation; knowledge-based DSS; small-scale irrigation; flexibility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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