Comparative Study on the Application of Water Resources Index for a Highly-Regulated Urbanized Basin

Abstract

As water scarcity intensifies in the face of climate change, water resources decision-making process requires the selection of appropriate indices which are subjected to accurate interpretation. This study undertakes a comparative analysis of three water resources indices: the Falkenmark Indicator (FI), Water Stress Index (WSI) and Water Resources Index (WRI). These indices are useful to assess water resource availability but each using different methodology and thus giving different insights to the basin water resource condition. We consider Klang River basin in Malaysia, a highly-regulated and urbanized basin with escalating water demand and competition between sectorial users. The indicator/ indices are derived from water allocation modelling based on historical data between year 2016 to 2018. Results show that consideration of basin storage (WRI) and water abstraction (WSI) offers more realistic representation of the basin water availability. The WRI offers further advantage in terms of temporal resolution over the course of the calendar year. It is concluded that decision-makers and stakeholders stand to benefit from effective water resource management strategies derived based on reliable analysis using the most relevant index.