RESUMEN
Modeling Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus is necessary for integrated water resources management (IWRM), especially in urban areas. This paper presents a new urban water metabolism-based methodology for WEF nexus modeling and management. A behavioral simulation model is used to incorporate the characteristics of stakeholders in an urban area. Modified versions of the Borda count, Copeland rule, and fallback bargaining procedures are implemented to choose the socially acceptable management scenarios. Finally, the selected scenarios' effectiveness is evaluated using the fairness and total utility indices. The applicability of the proposed methodology is evaluated by applying it to the Kan River basin, Tehran, Iran, which is suffering from some water and environmental issues. The considered management scenarios include adding new water sources, leakage control plans, using rubber dams for enhancing groundwater recharge, revising water allocation priorities, and developing semi-centralized or decentralized reuse strategies for reclaimed wastewater. Results illustrate that considering different fluxes (i.e., water quantity, pollutants, energy, greenhouse gases (GHG), and materials) is as important as incorporating the social characteristics of stakeholders. Simulating the socially acceptable scenario shows that the aquifer's average water level improves by 3 (m), and its average nitrate concentration reduces by 16 (mg/L) in comparison with the business as usual (BAU) scenario. In addition, by implementing different water reuse strategies, which are energy-intensive, total energy consumption is reduced by 5% due to less groundwater pumping. Also, the selected scenario decreases GHG emissions by 18% and increases the sequestrated carbon dioxide by 20%. In conclusion, the proposed decision support tool can provide policies for sustainable water resources management considering water quality and quantity issues, energy usage, and GHG emission.
Asunto(s)
Gases de Efecto Invernadero , Agua Subterránea , Recursos Hídricos , Abastecimiento de Agua , IránRESUMEN
Distributed Constraint Optimization (DCOP)-based approaches, as the distributed version of constraint optimization, provide a framework for coordinated decision making by a team of agents. In this paper, an agent-based DCOP model is developed to allocate water and reclaimed wastewater to demands considering the conflicting interests of involved stakeholders. One of the well-known DCOP algorithms, ADOPT1, is modified to incorporate an agent responsible for monitoring and conserving water resources. This new algorithm considers the social characteristics of agents and a new form of interaction between agents. For the first time in the literature, a real-world water and reclaimed wastewater allocation problem is formulated as a DCOP and solved using the Modified ADOPT (MADOPT) algorithm. To evaluate the MADOPT algorithm, it is applied to a water and reclaimed wastewater allocation problem in Tehran, Iran. The results illustrate the applicability and efficiency of the proposed methodology in dealing with large-scale multi-agent water resources systems. It is also shown that agents' selfishness and social relationships could affect their water use policies.