Evaluation of REILP scenarios toward a long-term planning of WRM system in Saudi Arabia

Water resources in Saudi Arabia are very limited. However, the population is steadily growing at a high rate. Since the yearly rainfall rate is very low in most regions of the country, the non-renewable groundwater has exceedingly consumed which resulted in a huge threat for this precious resource. In Saudi Arabia, the largest consumption of water comes from the agricultural, domestic, and industrial sectors, respectively. Without long-term planning and optimal allocation of scarce water resources among a variety of users, the country will continue to face many problems related to water in the long run. In this study, a risk explicit interval-parameter linear programming (REILP) approach was developed and applied to the long-term planning of the water resources management (WRM) system in Saudi Arabia. The approach can effectively reflect the interactions between overall cost-benefit and risk level of WRM system. In addition, the evaluation of two scenarios of REILP results from economic, environmental, social impact will be addressed to convince the stakeholders upon the best option.  The results will contribute to more efficient allocation of scarce water resources while improving the accuracy of REILP.