Decision Support System for investing in integrated water resources management in arid coastal regions Case Study: Sharm El Sheikh, South Sinai - Egypt

Water scarcity aggravates in coastal zones which are characterized by high population density, intense economic activity and tourism, and consequently heavy seasonal water demand. The usual way to tackle water demand is through conventional surface and ground water abstraction. However, due to increasing limitation in water resources, a shift is taking place towards integrated water resources management (IWRM).

The IWRM approach is to include: developing alternative water resources, e.g. desalination (removal of dissolved minerals including salts) and reclaimed waste water, and increasing the management efficiency of conventional resources and schemes to optimize water usage. However, the development, decision making process and implementation of projects conforming to the IWRM approach are complex due to different sectors involved: water, environment, economy, technology, society, etc.

The scope of this study is to develop a conceptual framework to be coded up into a decision support system (DSS) to aid decision makers in the design and assessment of integrated water resources management projects for arid coastal regions. The evaluation of the IWRM projects will be based on sustainability criteria. The developed DSS will be tested for sustainable IWRM projects in the case study region (Sharm El Sheikh, South-Sinai, Egypt).