Banking for alleviating the conflicting interests for water between the competing agricultural and urban sectors

Abstract

Erez Braude, Zilla Sinuany-Stern and Gideon Oron

A possible remedy to water shortage is to implement a water banking policy (water supply insurance). This work presents an effective administrative managerial tool that does not require significant technical means. The novelty of the manuscript is in the design of the water banking concept used here to resolve the conflicting interests between the agricultural and municipal sectors in regions that regularly suffer from water scarcity. A theoretical deterministic model was developed that considers two periods, the current year vs. future years. A Monte Carlo simulation was conducted in which stochastic rainfall conditions were introduced over many periods (up to 25 years). The MonteCarlo software enables to tackle stochastic data and to exclude deterministic information that is less realistic. Water banking policy is demonstrated, in which certain parameters (e.g., environmental and hydrological conditions) are varied. Other options for addressing water shortages include the increased production of new waters by enhanced desalination and/or by reusing wastewater or by harvesting runoff. As they are beyond the scope of this article, these other alternatives will not be discussed. Banking can be effectively exploited to solve immediate supply problems and to promote the long-term restoration of local water sources.

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