Optimization of Inter-Basin Water Transfer Projects: From Macroeconomic Impacts to Technical Hydraulic Design

Optimization of Inter-Basin Water Transfer Projects: From Macroeconomic Impacts to Technical Hydraulic Design | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Optimization of Inter-Basin Water Transfer Projects: From Macroeconomic Impacts to Technical Hydraulic Design Hamed Hamzekhani, S. Jamshid Mousavi, Mohammad Vesal This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8093336/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 25 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Water scarcity and supply insecurity are the primary barriers to economic growth in arid and semi-arid regions. Inter-basin water transfer projects are high-cost solutions that could create socio-environmental side effects. This study presents a novel approach to optimally design such projects from an investor's perspective. We employed an energy input-output analysis-based linear programming (LP) model to determine the water demands of various economic sectors within an optimal development scenario. The results from this LP model, combined with a survey on the sectors' willingness to pay, are then integrated into a mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP) model formulated to optimally design the long-distance Khersan Dam-to-Kerman Province water conveyance project. The project is a 650-kilometer long water transfer line with a maximum pumping height of 800 meters whose cost is sensitive to its capacity to be optimized. The model optimizes the project's capacity based on the level of investment economically justified by the sectors demanding a sustainable water supply. Our findings indicate that approximately 85 percent of the increase in the water demand of Kerman’s economic activities (except agriculture, water provision, and service sectors) over the project's lifetime could be met using only 5.2% of its total capacity. Furthermore, the financial participation of these economic activities could enhance the project's net benefit by up to 6.3%. Physical sciences/Engineering Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Hydrology optimization water conveyance input-output cost-benefit analysis Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 25 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 20 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 18 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 10 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Nov, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 25 Nov, 2025 Editor invited by journal 24 Nov, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 20 Nov, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 20 Nov, 2025 First submitted to journal 12 Nov, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8093336","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":552860258,"identity":"daeb69e5-21bd-46dd-bb4c-15dcafac14dd","order_by":0,"name":"Hamed Hamzekhani","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAzB54AADAzPzAagYYwOxWtgSGBgSSNLCwGMA1UIAmLOfTv7w4cwdeXN2no+feX8wyPM3MLd9wKfFsid3g+GMG88MdzbzbpbmSWAwnHGAsXkGXocdyN2QzPPhMOOGw7wbQFoYNzAwNuP3y/m3Gw7/+XDYfsNhnse/gVrsCWu5kbuxmeHG4USgFjaQLYlEaHm7mbHnzOHkDYfZzCznpEkkzzhM0GG5mz/8OHbYdsP5w49vvLGxse1vb3+MVws6kADGKUkaRsEoGAWjYBRgAwBHrVDJTNl9xQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic)","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hamed","middleName":"","lastName":"Hamzekhani","suffix":""},{"id":552860259,"identity":"cd5be23e-2204-4ab3-90e5-ed7fc59dc0f9","order_by":1,"name":"S. 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