Gestión y planificación de recursos hídricos: Un enfoque basado en la optimización

Abstract

Inadequate management of water resources has led to the so-called global water crisis. Optimization models are a useful tool in the planning and management of this valuable resource. We propose an optimisation global model aimed to minimize water supply costs at river basin level. Unlike other works, the proposed model integrates both conventional and non-conventional water sources as well as agricultural, urban and industrial users. Moreover, it has been considered an efficiency matrix which provides information on water losses between the origins and destinations. On the basic model, a set of further extensions have been proposed depending on water planning objectives. The developed model has been applied to the Segura River Basin showing the importance of non-conventional water resources to meet demand. In short, the proposed model represents an innovative approach to improve the allocation of water resources aiding to make more sustainable water use.