The global effort toward sustainable development has initiated a transition in water management. Water utility companies use water-pricing policies as an instrument for controlling residential water demand. To support policy makers in their decisions, the authors have developed DAWN, a hybrid model for evaluating water-pricing policies. DAWN integrates an agent-based social model for the consumer with conventional econometric models and simulates the residential water demand-supply chain, enabling the evaluation of different scenarios for policy making. An agent community is assigned to behave as water consumers, while econometric and social models are incorporated into them for estimating water consumption. DAWN's main advantage is that it supports social interaction between consumers, through an influence diffusion mechanism, implemented via inter-agent communication. Parameters affecting water consumption and associated with consumers' social behavior can be simulated with DAWN. Real-world results of DAWN's application for the evaluation of five waterpricing policies in Thessaloniki, Greece, are presented.
In this paper, the hydrogeologic analysis and the development of a numerical model for the simulation of a complex system of aquifers in Northern Greece are presented. The study area faces a severe environmental danger as the unsustainable water consuming practices have resulted in negative water balance and severe water shortage. Based on field data and in-situ measurements carried out by several research groups during the last 30 years, a conceptual model is developed, that alters what scientists believed to date as far as the hydraulic communication between the shallow and the deep aquifer, as well as the lake-aquifer interaction are concerned. Based on the assumptions of the conceptual model, a numerical model has been developed in order to investigate the regional groundwater flow in the aquifers. The Modflow program has been used for its implementation. The results have verified firstly that a marginal hydraulic contact between the 2 aquifers is permitted, and secondly that the assumed relation between the lake's water volume and the aquifer's water table fluctuations is practically negligible. The dramatic decrease in the lake's water reserves by 90%, as the model results show, is mainly due to the reversing of the torrentaquifer interrelation. Finally, the model is used as a management tool for the restoration of the aquifer as well as of the lake.
Border areas comprise inevitably problematic fields especially when the countries are bound to share common water resources. The conflict potential is rather high and quite often countries are directed to the negotiation table in order to form tranboundary agreements. These agreements aim to the settlement of tensions and conflicts originating from the management of shared water resources. Often a starting point of the conflict resolution is the water allocation scheme between the interested parts. The definition of entitlements over shared water resources in not an easy task and it requires the use of specific decision tools in order to reach the maximum level of objectivity. According to the Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60, management of transboundary catchments shall be based on existing structures set by international agreements, such as the UN Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. The main aim of this paper is the implementation of a water allocation tool based on representative indicators characterizing the involved parties while placing emphasis on environmental protection. The variables used are proposed by the UN Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses incorporating both natural and socio-economic aspects. These factors are quantified for each country and a weight factor is assigned to each one depending on its importance and suitability for describing the environmental and socio-economic situation in each country. As an illustration example the transboundary river Nestos/Mesta case is presented.
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