Agent-Based Modeling Approach to Investigating the Impact of Water Demand Management
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 144, Issue 3
Abstract
This paper proposes an agent-based modeling approach to assess water users’ behavior for water demand management (WDM) in a river basin. In this procedure, each agent controls its own strategy regarding whether to conserve or consume more water in order to achieve a better economic return based on an initial allocation scheme. The effects of agents’ behaviors on their own economic returns and the aggregated impacts of individual behavior on the system are investigated. A positive incentive given to water conservers encourages agents to implement WDM strategies, which in turn improve water use efficiency. A case study using this new agent-based approach reveals that agricultural users are the main contributors to water conservation. Compensation given to water conservers more than covers the benefit loss from lower water consumption, whereas other users gain benefits from the use of the conserved water. The results also indicate that the implementation of WDM strategies is beneficial for the overall system from both economic and ecological perspectives.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the constructive suggestions and comments put forward by the anonymous referees, associate editor, and editor, which enhanced the quality of the paper. The authors also thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada for its financial support. The first author gratefully acknowledges the China Scholarship Council for providing a scholarship to carry out his doctoral studies (No. 201206710003).
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Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 144 • Issue 3 • March 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 17, 2017
Accepted: Sep 20, 2017
Published online: Jan 11, 2018
Published in print: Mar 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Jun 11, 2018
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