Abstract:
Reservoirs are one of the most important components of a water resources
development project. Reservoir management involves allocating available water
among multiple uses and users, minimizing the risks of water shortages and flooding
and optimizing the beneficial use of water. With so many uncertainties, the
management of reservoirs is a challenging problem and its tailor-made solution is
not available. Now-a-days, Decision Support Systems (DSS) are being widely used in
cases where the problems are very complicated / non-structured. A DSS helps the
decision maker by considering all objectives and then evaluating options to identify a
solution that best solves an explicit problem while satisfying as many objectives as
possible.
In view of the importance of reservoir operation problem in Indian context and
the non-availability of a generalised software for this purpose, the National Institute
of Hydrology has taken up the task of developing a DSS for integrated reservoir
regulation, taking particular care of the data availability and conditions in India. The
DSS has menu driven options for simulation of a multipurpose multi-reservoir system
for conservation operation. Using a trial policy, the operation of a system can be
simulated and the reliability analysis can be carried out. The detailed operation table
can be used to refine the policy till the optimum is reached. The DSS is capable of
presenting the results in tabular as well as graphical form. In the present form, the
DSS has limited features and its capabilities are being enhanced.
