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A comprehensive approach to enhancing irrigation network management through the water accounting plus framework

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Abstract

Water management in irrigation networks is crucial for sustainable agriculture under conditions of water scarcity and climate variability. This study applies the water accounting plus (WA+) framework, integrating meteorological and remote sensing data (WaPOR), to analyze water fluxes, productivity, and spatial heterogeneity in the Qazvin Plain irrigation network from 2009 to 2021. The total net inflow during this period was approximately 10,582 MCM, with contributions from precipitation (≈ 20%), surface inflow (≈ 27%), and storage changes (≈ 53%). Analysis of evapotranspiration revealed that transpiration accounted for 80% of total ET, with 72% classified as beneficial (transpiration plus interception) and 28% as non-beneficial (soil evaporation and canopy interception). Spatial patterns indicate higher water availability in the eastern part of the network and deficits in the western region, highlighting the potential for improving water productivity through targeted interventions such as soil moisture conservation and optimized irrigation scheduling. These findings demonstrate the applicability of the WA + framework for enhancing water use efficiency and informing sustainable irrigation management in semi-arid regions.

Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to privacy concerns and proprietary constraints, but they are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

The authors received support to conduct the study but the support did not include support for the submitted work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Water Sciences and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University, P.O. Box 3414896818, Qazvin, Iran

    Mahkameh Sadat Naeini

  2. Department of Irrigation and Reclamation Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, P. O. Box 4111, Karaj, 31587-77871, Iran

    Bijan Nazari

  3. Water Engineering Department, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

    Bijan Nazari

  4. Department of Water Sciences and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University, P.O. Box 3414896818, Qazvin, Iran

    Abbas Sotoodehnia

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  1. Mahkameh Sadat Naeini
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Contributions

Mahkameh Sadat Naeini: Conceptualization; Data downloading and processing; Writing the original draft; Finalization. Bijan Nazari and Abbas Sotoodehnia: Supervision; Editing drafts; Providing suggestions and additions to improve the findings and their practical applicability.

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Bijan Nazari.

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Naeini, M.S., Nazari, B. & Sotoodehnia, A. A comprehensive approach to enhancing irrigation network management through the water accounting plus framework.
Sci Rep (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-33024-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-33024-4

Keywords

  • Climate change
  • Groundwater
  • WaPOR
  • Water fluxes
  • Water scarcity

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