Hydro-economic modelling of the Upper Bhima

Abstract: Water resources development has played a crucial role in the expansion of agriculture and industry in the Upper Bhima Catchment, Maharashtra, India. However, sustainable water resources management has become a challenging issue in this catchment in recent years as there is an increasing demand for renewable, yet finite water resources. Finding ways to meet this growing demand and also to achieve positive environmental and economic outcomes requires the aid of modeling tools to analyze the impact of alternative policy scenarios. Water resources management modeling at a catchment scale can provide policy makers with essential information needed to make rational resource allocation decisions. Rainfall in this 46,066 km2 catchment ranges from 450mm-2500mm, and is monsoonal by nature. As a result of the seasonal distribution of rainfall, a large portion of the catchment is often subjected to water stress conditions. With anticipated population and industrial growth, together with increased environmental concerns, demand for water in this catchment is expected to increase in the next thirty years. In this study, the economic impacts of multiple water redistribution scenarios will be assessed against present day conditions based on hydrological principles using a water allocation model combined with a social cost-benefit framework. Resource assessment was conducted at key control nodes in the catchment. Historical hydrologic analysis and stream flow simulation were assessed using the semi distributed hydrologic mode