We develop policy tools and instruments for planning and managing river basins.
Our ultimate goal is to increase the productivity of water by identifying efficient allocation policies between the different water users including the environment. To achieve this we develop economic-hydrologic models based on advanced stochastic optimization techniques. The model integrates essential hydrologic, economic and institutional components of a river basin in order to explore both the hydrologic and economic consequences of various policy options. The mutistage decision making problem is solved using an algorithm that belongs to the so-called approximate dynamic programming field, which is a powerful class of algorithmic strategies for solving large-scale stochastic optimization problems. Details can be found in the publications. Policy instruments are also developed to make sure that the efficient allocation policies are socially acceptable and to promote cooperation between water users. For example, we assess upstream/downstream monetary compensations from the optimal allocation policies and the economic information obtained with the optimization model.
This project involves staff members from UNESCO-IHE, Department of Management and Institutions (Delft, The Netherlands). For further information, feel free to
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The Aquaplan team is involved in a project to analyze hydropower-to-environment water transfers in the Zambezi river basin- Large man-made storages have disrupted the hydrology and environment in the Zambezi basin
- Artificial floods could help restore the environment
- However, the opportunity cost (forgone benefits in terms of hydropower generation) is unknown
- Better understand the relationship between river flows and ecology
- Economic valuation of artificial floods in the Zambezi basin
- Determine reservoir operating policies that include both hydropower generation and environmental flows
 Elephants in the Zambezi River - Mana Pools - Feb 2010 |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 08 June 2010 )
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