The impact of water resources management and resource optimisation during drought periods

Authors

  • Kurbonalijon Zokirov ashkent State Agrarian University, Faculty of Fruit-Vegetable Growing and Viticulture, Department of Vegetable Growing and Establishing the Greenhouse Farming, University St, 2, Kibray District, Tashkent Region, Uzbekistan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8156-5913
  • Otabek Mukhitdinov Kimyo International University in Tashkent, Educational and Methodological Department, Shota Rustaveli St, 156, Tashkent, Uzbekistan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7347-0025
  • Sulton A. Suyarov Sharof Rashidov Samarkand State University Suyarov Sulton Allaberdiyevich, Faculty of Geography and Ecology, Department of Ecology and Life Safety, University Boulevard 15, Samarkand, Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6464-9587
  • Anvar Sherov National Research University, Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers, Kori Niyazov St, 39, Tashkent, Uzbekistan https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4369-2657
  • Farmankul Egamberdiev Alfraganus University, Yukori Karakamish St, 2A, Yunusabad District, Tashkent, Uzbekistan https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4070-0132
  • Nemat K. Mamadaliev Fergana Medical Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Traumatology, Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics, Yangi Turon St, 2A, Fergana, Fergana Region, Uzbekistan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2953-2695
  • Gulnoza A. Abdirashidova Samarkand State Medical University, Faculty of Medical Prevention, Public Health and Medical Biology, Department of Pathological Physiology, Amir Temur St, 18, Samarkand, Samarqand, Uzbekistan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2559-4549
  • Dadaxon Abdullayev Urgench State University, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Department of Fruit-Vegetable Growing, Kh. Alimdjan St, 14, Urganch, Khorezm, Uzbekistan https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8583-2538

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24425/jwld.2025.155307

Abstract

Water scarcity affects approximately 40% of the global population, with drought events causing annual economic losses exceeding $5-8 bln. Traditional water management approaches are increasingly inadequate as climate variability intensifies. The current study aims to develop an integrated framework for water resource optimisation during drought periods that bridges theoretical models with practical implementation considerations. The research was conducted across three watersheds (Limpopo, Murray-Darling, and Colorado River basins) using comprehensive hydroclimatic, socioeconomic, and institutional data spanning 1992-2022. A system dynamics model with five interconnected subsystems was coupled with a Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-III optimisation framework. The Institutional Analysis and Development framework assessed governance structures, while Sobol sensitivity analysis evaluated parameter influence. Optimised balanced strategies reduced economic losses by 19.4-24.8%, decreased social impacts by 25.8-28.7%, and increased environmental flow compliance to 49.2-61.7% compared to baseline management. The Murray-Darling basin demonstrated the highest implementation potential due to its comprehensive legal framework and established adaptive mechanisms. Under severe climate change scenarios, optimisation performance advantages declined by 21-29%. Effective drought management requires both technical optimisation and institutional adaptation. Basin-specific implementation pathways provide practical roadmaps for enhancing water security while balancing diverse stakeholder needs in increasingly water-stressed regions.

References

Alkhalidi, A. et al. (2023) “Integrated innovative technique to assess and priorities risks associated with drought: Impacts, measures/strategies, and actions, global study,” International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 94, 103800. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103800.

Berg, H. et al. (2023) “Stakeholders assessment of status and trends of ecosystem services in the Mekong Delta for improved management of multifunctional wetlands,” Journal of Environmental Management, 338, 117807. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117807.

Bouramdane, A.-A. (2023) “Optimal water management strategies: paving the way for sustainability in smart cities,” Smart Cities, 6(5), pp. 2849–2882. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/smart-cities6050128.

Bukhari, S.R.H., Khan, A.U. and Noreen, S. (2024) “Optimizing water resource governance for sustainable agricultural and hydro-electric development in Pakistan: An in-depth examination and policy prescriptions,” Journal of Development and Social Sciences, 5(2), pp. 280–293. Available at: https://doi.org/10.47205/jdss.2024(5-II)27.

Chipperfield, K. and Alexandra, J. (2023) “Water governance, the rule of law and regulating risks to the Murray–Darling basin,” Australasian Journal of Water Resources, 27(1), pp. 103–116. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13241583.2022.2161143.

Chuenchum, P. et al. (2024) “Community participation and effective water management: A study on water user organizations (WUOs) in Thailand,” World Development Perspectives, 34, 100589. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100589.

Colloff, M.J. and Pittock, J. (2022) “Mind the gap! Reconciling environmental water requirements with scarcity in the Murray–Darling basin, Australia,” Water, 14(2), 208. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/w14020208.

Danandeh Mehr, A. et al. (2023) “A novel intelligent deep learning predictive model for meteorological drought forecasting,” Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing,” 14(8), pp. 10441–10455. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-022-03701-7.

Deepa, R., Kumar, V. and Sundaram, S. (2024) “A systematic review of regional and global climate extremes in CMIP6 models under shared socio-economic pathways,” Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 155(4), pp. 2523–2543. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-024-04872-3.

Drogkoula, M., Kokkinos, K. and Samaras, N. (2023) “A comprehensive survey of machine learning methodologies with emphasis in water resources management,” Applied Sciences, 13(22), 12147. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/app132212147.

Fernández, F.J. et al. (2023) “The economics impacts of long-run droughts: Challenges, gaps, and way forward,” Journal of Environmental Management, 344, 118726. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118726.

Grigg, N.S. (2025) “Colorado River basin: conflict management under hydrologic stress institutional gridlock,” International Journal of River Basin Management, 23(1), pp. 45–53. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/15715124.2023.2229802.

Guemouria, A., Chehbouni, A. and Bouchaou, L. (2024) “Complexity of water management: System Dynamics versus Conventional methods: Complexity of water management,” Frontiers in Science and Engineering, International Journal, 13(1), pp. 93–108. Available at: https://doi.org/10.34874/IMIST.PRSM/fseijournal-v13i1.52958.

Gusti, G.N. et al. (2023) “Assessment of annual high-discharge patterns in Kapuas River using information and complexity measures,” Journal of Water and Land Development, 57, pp. 62–68. Available at: https://doi.org/10.24425/jwld.2023.145336.

Hou, J. et al. (2025) “A Multi-Objective Simulation-Optimization framework for water resources management in canal-well conjunctive irrigation area based on nexus perspective,” Journal of Hydrology, 646, 132308. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.132308.

Ibrahim, M.K. et al. (2024) “Enhanced efficiency of water purification plant by combined riverbank filtration,” Journal of Water and Land Development, pp. 220–229. Available at: https://doi.org/10.24425/jwld.2024.151570.

Jones-Crank, J.L. (2024) “A multi-case institutional analysis of water–energy–food nexus governance,” Sustainability Science, 19(4), pp. 1277–1291. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-024-01509-2.

Kamyab, H. et al. (2023) “The latest innovative avenues for the utilization of artificial Intelligence and big data analytics in water resource management,” Results in Engineering, 20, 101566. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2023.101566.

Kikon, A. and Deka, P.C. (2022) “Artificial intelligence application in drought assessment, monitoring and forecasting: a review,” Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, 36(5), pp. 1197–1214. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-021-02129-3.

Kolahi, M., Davary, K. and Omranian Khorasani, H. (2024) “Integrated approach to water resource management in Mashhad Plain, Iran: actor analysis, cognitive mapping, and roadmap development,” Scientific Reports, 14(1), 162. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50697-x.

Kyriakopoulos, G.L. (2023) “Circular economy and sustainable strategies: theoretical framework, policies and regulation challenges, barriers, and enablers for water management,” in M.G. Zamparas and G.L. Kyriakopoulos (eds.) Water Management and Circular Economy. Elsevier, pp. 197–230. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95280-4.00014-X.

Lisonbee, J. et al. (2025) “Prioritization of research on drought assessment in a changing climate,” Earth’s Future, 13(3), e2024EF005276. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EF005276.

Liu, Y. et al. (2022) “Multi-objective optimal scheduling of automated construction equipment using non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-III),” Automation in Construction, 143, 104587. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2022.104587.

Mahdi, M. (2024) “Enhancing Disparity in water distribution within irrigation systems aimed at improving the conflict domain under alternative perspectives: A reliable multi-objective framework,” Agriculture, 14(8), 1316. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081316.

Melesse, M.B. and Demissie, Y. (2024) “Hydrology and droughts in the Nile: A review of key findings and implications,” Water, 16(17), 2521. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/w16172521.

Minea, G. et al. (2018) “How can the grasslands under rainfall events modify water balance in drought conditions,” Journal of Water and Land Development, 38, pp. 53–65. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2478/jwld-2018-0042.

Mishra, R.K. (2023) “Fresh water availability and its global challenge,” British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies, 4(3), pp. 1–78. Available at: https://doi.org/10.37745/bjmas.2022.0208.

Nugroho, H.Y.S.H. et al. (2023) “Incorporating traditional knowledge into science-based sociotechnical measures in upper watershed management: theoretical framework, existing practices and the way forward,” Sustainability, 15(4), 3502. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043502.

Obwocha, E.B. et al. (2022) “The relationship between climate change, variability, and food security: understanding the impacts and building resilient food systems in West Pokot County, Kenya,” Sustainability, 14(2), 765. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020765.

Paez-Trujillo, A.M. et al. (2024) “An optimisation approach for planning preventive drought management measures,” Science of The Total Environment, 948, 174842. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174842.

Pérez-Blanco, C.D. (2022) “Navigating deep uncertainty in complex human–water systems,” in Climate Adaptation Modelling. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 169–178.

Prodhan, F.A. et al. (2022) “A review of machine learning methods for drought hazard monitoring and forecasting: Current research trends, challenges, and future research directions,” Environmental Modelling & Software, 149, 105327. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2022.105327.

Rahman, Md.M. and Islam, M.S. (2024) “Institutional dynamics and climate adaptation: unveiling the challenges and opportunities in coastal Bangladesh,” SN Social Sciences, 4(8), 150. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00951-4.

Razavi, S. et al. (2025) “Convergent and transdisciplinary integration: On the future of integrated modeling of human-water systems,” Water Resources Research, 61(2), e2024WR038088. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR038088.

Santos, E., Carvalho, M. and Martins, S. (2023) “Sustainable water management: Understanding the socioeconomic and cultural dimensions,” Sustainability, 15(17), 13074. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/su151713074.

Sapino, F., Pérez-Blanco, C.D. and Saiz-Santiago, P. (2022) “A hydro-economic model to calculate the resource costs of agricultural water use and the economic and environmental impacts of their recovery,” Water Economics and Policy, 08(04), 2240012. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1142/S2382624X22400124.

Shemer, H., Wald, S. and Semiat, R. (2023) “Challenges and solutions for global water scarcity,” Membranes, 13(6), 612. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13060612.

Shukla B.K. et al. (2024) “Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the geospatial epoch: An ontological dive into sustainable hydrological governance,” in C. Sharma et al. (eds.) Sustainable Development and Geospatial Technology. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, pp. 1–22. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-65703-0_1.

Vicente-Serrano, S.M. et al. (2022) “Global drought trends and future projections,” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 380(2238), 20210285. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2021.0285.

Wang, T. et al. (2022) “Socioeconomic drought analysis by standardized water supply and demand index under changing environment,” Journal of Cleaner Production, 347, 131248. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131248.

Wyborn, C.A. et al. (2023) “The politics of adaptive governance: water reform, climate change, and First Nations’ justice in Australia’s Murray-Darling basin,” Ecology and Society, 28(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-13641-280104.

Yazdandoost, F., Razavi, H. and Izadi, A. (2022) “Optimization of agricultural patterns based on virtual water considerations through integrated water resources management modeling,” International Journal of River Basin Management, 20(2), pp. 255–263. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/15715124.2021.1879093.

Yimer, E.A. et al. (2023) “Regional evaluation of groundwater-surface water interactions using a coupled geohydrological model (SWAT+ gwflow),” Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 50, 101532. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2023.101532.

Downloads

Published

2025-06-30

How to Cite

Zokirov, Kurbonalijon, et al. “The Impact of Water Resources Management and Resource Optimisation During Drought Periods”. Journal of Water and Land Development, vol. 66, no. 66, June 2025, pp. 106-20, doi:10.24425/jwld.2025.155307.

Issue

Section

Articles

Similar Articles

<< < 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.