Water Allocation for Wetland Environmental Water Requirements: The Case of Shadegan Wetland, Jarrahi Catchment, Iran
Publication: World Environmental and Water Resource Congress 2006: Examining the Confluence of Environmental and Water Concerns
Abstract
The Shadegan Wetland is a Ramsar-listed wetland in the south-west of Iran at the head of the Persian Gulf. It is the largest wetland of Iran covering about 400,000 hectares. The wetland plays a significant hydrological and ecological role in the natural functioning of the northern Gulf. It also supports a very diverse flora and fauna and is the most important site in the world for Marbled Teal. The water regime is threatened by upstream abstraction of water for irrigation and the saline discharge from sugar cane industries and irrigation schemes. This will result in an overall reduction in wetland water quantity and quality, leading to a change in plant community composition. This paper investigates how much water is required to maintain the wetland health and the best management options to fulfill this requirement. Considering the lack of field data, using remote sensing (NOAA_AVHRR images with 1.1 km resolution), wetland monthly water surface and biomass during the 15 years before dam construction were traced. Then using these data wetland environmental water requirements was determined in 3 levels. Also the best hydrological regime that could conserve minimum requirements of vegetation cover, Marbled Teal, and flooding conditions were set as the hydrological regime with exceedance probability of 60% that is equal to 2766 MCM/y (level 3).
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© 2006 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Apr 26, 2012
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Bodies of water (by type)
- Business management
- Case studies
- Catchments
- Developing countries
- Engineering fundamentals
- Geology
- Geotechnical engineering
- Gulfs
- Hydrologic engineering
- Hydrology
- Methodology (by type)
- Practice and Profession
- Research methods (by type)
- River engineering
- River systems
- Salt water
- Water (by type)
- Water and water resources
- Water discharge
- Water management
- Wetlands (fresh water)
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