Restoring environmental flows in tropical floodplains by coordinating water-energy operations
Abstract
The high productivity of tropical floodplains is sustained by the natural flow regime, which largely controls biota and ecosystem processes. The extensive construction of dams in several river basins has altered the hydrological regimes well beyond historical pristine conditions, thereby degrading floodplain ecosystems and threatening the well-being of local communities. The design of water flows is therefore of critical importance for environmental conservation, particularly in the tropics, where dam development is still booming. Here, we show that there are untapped opportunities for addressing the trade-off between hydropower supply and natural flow variability to the Mekongs floodplains, home to one of the largest inland fisheries in the world. Using a high-resolution hydrological-water management model, we design a portfolio of dam reoperation strategies that could substantially reduce the current gap from natural flow conditions. We show that these strategies are not only robust with respect to hydro-climatic variability, but also technically and economically feasible. Simulation results with a power system model indicate that changing power production plans across a few critical dams does not create grid reliability issues; in fact, coordinating hydropower production could improve seasonal flow variability while increasing Laos hydropower revenues. Overall, nexus solutions such as the one demonstrated here are a concrete basis for meeting the interests of diverse stakeholders, ultimately safeguarding crucial economic interests and catalysing sustainable river management across multiple countries.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2021
- Bibcode:
- 2021AGUFMGC25L0774D