Muhammad Ejaz Qureshi

Validation of multicriteria analysis models

Validation procedures play an important role in establishing the credibility of models, improving their relevance and acceptability. This article reviews the testing of models relevant to environmental and natural resource management with particular emphasis on models used in multicriteria analysis (MCA). Validation efforts for a model used in a MCA catchment management study in North Queensland, Australia, are presented. Determination of face validity is found to be a useful approach in evaluating this model, and sensitivity analysis is useful in checking the stability of the model

An empirical assessment of the value of irrigation water: the case study of Murrumbidgee catchment

Evaluation of value of irrigation water is essential for supporting policy decision making relating to investments in the irrigation sector, efficient allocation of irrigation water and water pricing and for crafting policies to compare the variable impacts of water reform within and across sectors of the economy. This paper asks the question of how much an established irrigator would pay for water and at what price farmers planning to expand the area they have under irrigation would consider paying for the right to access water. An analytical framework is developed to estimate the net present value of both annual and perennial agricultural activities in the Murrumbidgee catchment. Using these estimates the total value of water used in Murrumbidgee catchment is estimated. An aggregate water supply curve is derived for the catchment from where water may be acquired from irrigators for environmental flows.

A Comparison of Water Policies for Sustainable Irrigation Management: The Case of India and Australia

A comparative analysis of irrigation related issues and effectiveness of water policies in India and Australia is conducted to help share the learning from each other’s experience in sustainable irrigation management. Keeping in pace with the global trend of implementing a sustainable water management program, India has adopted the concept of participatory irrigation management (PIM) while Australia has adopted irrigation management transfer (IMT) program. PIM in India is regarded as experimentation in diverse socio-economic settings with mixed results while IMT in Australia has achieved a high level of water use efficiency. Australian irrigation industry is currently driven by market mechanisms where water trading is expected to lead to greater efficiency. However, there are concerns that sole reliance on water use (or economic) efficiency objective may conflict with the objectives of social equity and ecological sustainability. Similar to Australia, there is an opportunity for water markets in India. However, conflict in the objectives of efficiency, equity and sustainability constrain the debate of establishing water markets in India. The comparative analysis indicates that despite both countries have a common goal of sustainable water management, their strategies differ. Nevertheless, India can emulate many of the Australian experiences in water policy reforms, entitlements, institutional arrangements, and corporate style of management while Australia can adopt the best Indian traditions of decentralized participatory and community management for sustainable irrigation water management.

Managed aquifer recharge in farming landscapes using large floods: an opportunity to improve outcomes for the Murray-Darling Basin?

Abstract Conjunctive use of surface and groundwater through managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is underway in Australia, principally to reuse urban wastewater. The opportunity for MAR in farming landscapes has received less attention, and the extent this might occur using water from large flood events or dam releases has not been examined. This paper addresses that gap by providing an overview of the potential benefits and challenges to implementing MAR using water from large floods, examining the social acceptability of MAR amongst groundwater licence holders in the Namoi Valley, and identifying future research needed to assess this opportunity. The appeal of MAR using water from large flood events is the opportunity it affords to replenish aquifers, return linkages between depleted groundwater and surface flows, and buffer the impacts of drought on irrigators and aquatic ecosystems. Most of the respondents to the Namoi survey agreed that MAR has merit. However, some research informants were concerned about the impact of recharge on groundwater quality and the possibility that MAR would be another intervention that would lead to over-exploitation of a scarce resource. A number of ways to implement MAR using large flood events are also canvassed and we identify next steps for the assessment of those options.

Preface: Economics of groundwater management

Effective management of groundwater resources in a world where high-quality source water is becoming both physically and economically scarcer requires interdisciplinary collaboration among hydrologists, ecologists, engineers, and economists. This theme issue, Economics of Groundwater Management, seeks to further communication and cooperation across disciplines by presenting a collection of economic research articles that demonstrate a broad range of approaches used by economists to integrate hydrologic concepts into economic frameworks. The theme issue opens with an overview of the economic approach to groundwater management in Qureshi et al. Economists commonly define optimal groundwater management as the rate of extraction by location and time that maximizes the present value of net benefits (after deducting the costs from the gross benefits). Making the best use of limited groundwater resources requires a conceptual framework that defines best use combined with knowledge of alternate extractive and nonextractive values, the costs of extraction, the hydrological interlinkages between alternative uses, hydrological linkages with surface water, the cost of alternative water sources, and how policy and institutions influence outcomes. Hydrological models of quantity and quality are essential since maximization of net benefits is subject to the hydrological characteristics of the aquifer and related water sources. Incorporation of extraction and application technologies and costs, as well as structural solutions such as artificial recharge, require hydrological and irrigation engineering knowledge. Since economists broadly define benefits to include both extractive and non-extractive values, ecological modeling may be necessary for appropriate valuation. Furthermore, institutional and policy factors influence groundwater value and must be considered in concert with supply and demand.