Research Area Project Results Publications
Research Area Project Results Publications

GLOWA


BMBF


ZEF


University of Bonn

The Volta Basin Water Allocation System (VB-WAS)

Figure 1: Structure of the Volta Basin Water Allocation System (VB-WAS). A model ensemble of a climate-hydrological (MM5-WaSim) and an economic model (M3) provide scenarios of water supply and demand for the river basin management model (MIKE BASIN). The MIKE BASIN model can be used by water authorities as a decision support tool to analyze the impact of water resources development and climate change, and to identify transnational competing water uses, such as irrigation schemes and hydropower supply under predefined climate change and water use scenarios. (Click to enlarge, 31KB)

One of the major scientific outcomes of the GVP is the Volta Basin Water Allocation System (VB-WAS).

The VB-WAS is a decision support tool that allows incorporating the impact of possible future climate conditions and projected water demand scenarios on future water resources management and infrastructure development in the basin. For example, the impact due to the expansion of small reservoirs, further large dam development, and that of other water users on the available water resources of the Volta basin can be assessed.

VB-WAS simulates the impact of various water users (water demand) on the water allocation (water supply) within the Volta Basin using a sequence of data coupled and fully coupled models.

The simulated historic and future discharge time series of the coupled climate-hydrological model (MM5/WaSiM) serve as water supply input data for a river basin management model (MIKE BASIN). MIKE BASIN uses a network approach, and allows fast simulations of water allocation and of the consequences of different development scenarios on the available water resources.

The water demand of different basin users (agricultural, domestic, hydropower) is dynamically simulated with the economic model (M3WATER) assuming different policy scenarios.

Figure 2: Set up of the Mike Basin watershed management model for the Volta Basin including large reservoirs, hydropower, small and medium reservoirs, irrigation and domestic water use from surface water. (Click to enlarge, 86KB)

VB-WAS serves as a decision support platform for water authorities that allows simulations of water resources development and climate change, and to identify transnational competing water uses, such as irrigation schemes and hydropower supply under predefined climate change and water use scenarios.