The Syr Darya basin, a vital water source for Central Asia, faces a complex challenge: balancing the competing demands for its limited water. Hydropower, irrigation, and environmental needs often clash, a problem worsened by the post-Soviet fragmentation of regional water management (Tanrısever & Sakal, 2022). Adding to this challenge are the growing pressures of climate change and population growth. Hydropower is essential for energy security in Central Asia. But how much water does it use? The water footprint concept (Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2011) allows us to quantify the freshwater consumed by hydroelectricity, mainly through evaporative losses from reservoirs serving hydropower plants. Accurate assessment requires understanding the water footprint of each reservoir, cataloguing all dams, and considering the region's unique characteristics (Xie et al., 2019). This project aims to address these complexities, focusing on the central research question: How does the water footprint of hydropower generation vary across different regions and seasons within the Syr Darya basin, and what is its impact on regional water availability? Understanding this challenging water-energy nexus is essential for sustainable resource management.
Research Objectives
- To quantify the blue water footprint of individual hydropower plants and investigate how the blue water footprint varies spatially across different regions of the basin and temporally across different seasons
- To assess the impact of hydropower water consumption on regional water availability and how dam operations affect upstream and downstream water availability
Methodological Approach
- Data Inventory: Compile regional data (location, climate, reservoir purpose/use, generating capacity, operational practices, hydrology, environment, land use)
- Water footprint accounting: The blue water footprint of hydropower generation will be calculated for each plant using the methodology outlined by Hogeboom et al., (2018), with seasonal and spatial analysis
- Impact Assessment: The impact of hydropower water consumption on regional water availability will be assessed by comparing the calculated water footprints with available water resources in the basin.
Specific Aspects
This project is closely connected to the goals of the European Commission-funded Horizon Europe project ‘Water Efficient Allocation in Central Asian Transboundary River Basin’ (WE-ACT). This project is closely connected to the goals of the European Commission-funded Horizon Europe project, ‘Water Efficient Allocation in Central Asian Transboundary River Basin’ (WE-ACT). Exploring collaboration with consortium partner FutureWater in Wageningen, NL is an option we can consider.
References
- F. Tanrısever, O., & Burak Sakal, H. (2022). Water, Energy and Environment in Eurasia (1st ed.). Cappadocia University Press. https://doi.org/10.35250/kun/9786054448227
- Hogeboom, R. J., Knook, L., & Hoekstra, A. Y. (2018). The blue water footprint of the world’s artificial reservoirs for hydroelectricity, irrigation, residential and industrial water supply, flood protection, fishing and recreation. Advances in Water Resources, 113, 285–294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2018.01.028
- Mekonnen, M. M., & Hoekstra, A. Y. (2011). The water footprint of electricity from hydropower Value of Water. UNESCO-IHE, Delft, the Netherlands.
- Xie, X., Jiang, X., Zhang, T., & Huang, Z. (2019). Regional water footprints assessment for hydroelectricity generation in China. Renewable Energy, 138, 316–325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2019.01.089
Supervision
Are you interested in this assignment? Contact the Master thesis coordinator.
