Optimization of hydropower reservoir operation balancing generation benefit and fisheries in the Transboundary Srepok river Basin under climate change scenarios | |
| Author | Gunawardana, Shakthi Kalpani |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.WM-22-01 |
| Subject(s) | Climatic changes--Transboundary Srepok River Basin Hydrology--Transboundary Srepok River Basin Fisheries--Transboundary Srepok River Basin |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Engineering in Water Engineering and Management, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. WM-22-01 |
| Abstract | Rapid developments of hydropower dams have created pressure in water allocation, especially for maintenance of fish habitat and environmental flow requirements in the Srepok River which is one of the three tributaries of the transboundary 3S (Sekong, Sesan, and Srepok) River. The changes in climate will alter hydrological conditions, and in turn hydropower generation. Therefore, this research quantified climate change impact on hydrology, fish catch in terms of catch per unit effort (CPUE), and hydropower generation in the Srepok River Basin and optimized future reservoir releases such that the hydropower generation and fish catch were maximized. Initially, the impacts of changes in land use, climate, and hydropower developments on the Srepok hydrological regime were analyzed to better understand the connections between these multiple drivers on the hydrological alteration. The results reveal that the frequency of both extreme low flows and high flows showed an increase in the recent past relative to that in the 1990s and the high flows in the wet season exhibited an increasing pattern, while the extremely low flows showed an increasing pattern during the dry season. Thereafter, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), fish-flow regression relationships, and Hydrologic Engineering Center’s Reservoir System Simulation (HEC-ResSim) models were employed to assess the climate change impacts on future hydrology, fish catch, and hydropower generation utilizing future climate projections from five Regional Climate Models (RCMs) under two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios. The ensemble projections of both minimum and maximum temperatures showed an increase of 1.04−2.80 0C in the future. Moreover, future basin hydrological regime showed increasing average annual discharge ranging from 11.3%−19.2% under RCP scenarios of ensembled projections. The results showed an increasing pattern of fish CPUE and decreasing pattern in hydropower generation in the future. Finally, the turbine and spill flows of the Srepok 4 Dam were optimized using paretosearch algorithm to maximize the hydropower generation and fish catch. Relative to the baseline and climate change impacted scenarios, optimized future ensemble scenarios of both hydropower generation and fish catch (CPUE) showed more feasible forecasts. |
| Year | 2022 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. WM-22-01 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology |
| Department | Department of Civil and Infrastucture Engineering (DCIE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Water Engineering and Management (WM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Shrestha, Sangam; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Shanmugam, Sundaram Mohana;Salin, Krishna R.;Thanapon Piman; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | CC-Hydro - CCA-GW - Hydro-Asia Projects;Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph. D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2022 |