Development of a REILP Approach for Long-Term Planning of WRM System in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

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 will be 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.