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Towards a Decision-Making Approach of Sustainable Water Resources Management Based on Hydrological Modeling: A Case Study in Central Morocco

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  • Abdennabi Alitane

    (Geoengineering and Environment Laboratory, Research Group “Water Sciences and Environment Engineering”, Geology Department, Faculty of Sciences, Moulay Ismail University, Presidency, Marjane 2, Meknes BP 298, Morocco
    Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB), 1050 Brussels, Belgium)

  • Ali Essahlaoui

    (Geoengineering and Environment Laboratory, Research Group “Water Sciences and Environment Engineering”, Geology Department, Faculty of Sciences, Moulay Ismail University, Presidency, Marjane 2, Meknes BP 298, Morocco)

  • Ann Van Griensven

    (Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB), 1050 Brussels, Belgium
    Water Resources and Ecosystems Department, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, 2611 AX Delft, The Netherlands)

  • Estifanos Addisu Yimer

    (Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB), 1050 Brussels, Belgium)

  • Narjisse Essahlaoui

    (Geoengineering and Environment Laboratory, Research Group “Water Sciences and Environment Engineering”, Geology Department, Faculty of Sciences, Moulay Ismail University, Presidency, Marjane 2, Meknes BP 298, Morocco)

  • Meriame Mohajane

    (ITC-CNR, Construction Technologies Institute, National Research Council, 70124 Bari, Italy)

  • Celray James Chawanda

    (Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB), 1050 Brussels, Belgium)

  • Anton Van Rompaey

    (Geography and Tourism Research Group, Earth and Environmental Science Department, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium)

Abstract

Water is one of the fundamental resources of economic prosperity, food security, human habitats, and the driver of many global phenomena, such as droughts, floods, contaminated water, disease, poverty, and hunger. Therefore, its deterioration and its inadequate use lead to heavy impacts on environmental resources and humans. Thus, we argue that to address these challenges, one can rely on hydrological management strategies. The objective of this study is to simulate and quantify water balance components based on a hydrologic model with available data at the R’Dom watershed in Morocco. For this purpose, the hydrologic model used is the Soil and Water Assessment Tool + (SWAT+) model. The streamflow model simulations were run at the monthly time step (from 2002 to 2016), during the calibration period 2002–2009, the coefficient of determination (R 2 ) and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) values were 0.84 and 0.70, respectively, and 0.81 and 0.65, respectively, during the validation period 2010–2016. The results of the water balance modeling in the watershed during the validation period revealed that the average annual precipitation was about 484 mm, and out of this, 5.75 mm came from the development of irrigation in agricultural lands. The evapotranspiration accounted for about 72.28% of the input water of the watershed, while surface runoff (surq_gen) accounted for 12.04%, 11.90% was lost by lateral flow (latq), and 4.14% was lost by groundwater recharge (perco). Our approach is designed to capture a real image of a case study; zooming into other case studies with similar environments to uncover the situation of water resources is highly recommended. Moreover, the outcomes of this study will be helpful for policy and decision-makers, and it can be a good path for researchers for further directions based on the SWAT model to simulate water balance to achieve adequate management of water resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Abdennabi Alitane & Ali Essahlaoui & Ann Van Griensven & Estifanos Addisu Yimer & Narjisse Essahlaoui & Meriame Mohajane & Celray James Chawanda & Anton Van Rompaey, 2022. "Towards a Decision-Making Approach of Sustainable Water Resources Management Based on Hydrological Modeling: A Case Study in Central Morocco," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-17, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:17:p:10848-:d:902632
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yuddy Alejandra Castro Ortegón & Julio César Acosta-Prado & Pedro Mauricio Acosta Castellanos, 2022. "Impact of Land Cover Changes on the Availability of Water Resources in the Regional Natural Park Serranía de Las Quinchas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, March.
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    3. Mihret Dananto & Alemu O. Aga & Petros Yohannes & Lamiso Shura, 2022. "Assessing the Water-Resources Potential and Soil Erosion Hotspot Areas for Sustainable Land Management in the Gidabo Watershed, Rift Valley Lake Basin of Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-19, April.
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    5. Abdennabi Alitane & Ali Essahlaoui & Mohammed El Hafyani & Abdellah El Hmaidi & Anas El Ouali & Amina Kassou & Yassine El Yousfi & Ann van Griensven & Celray James Chawanda & Anton Van Rompaey, 2022. "Water Erosion Monitoring and Prediction in Response to the Effects of Climate Change Using RUSLE and SWAT Equations: Case of R’Dom Watershed in Morocco," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-21, January.
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