Typical field of application of the RIBASIM software are:

• Assessment of the influence of climate and anthropogenic forces on the availability of surface and groundwater resources in a basin:

  • How does a different climate scenario influence the availability of water when the sectorial water demand functions remain constant?

  • How influential is the water demand of the industrial sector in decreasing river discharge in a selected basin?

  • How does a shift in planting period for irrigated agriculture affects water consumption, and therefore availability at the basin scale?

• Evaluation of the options and potentials for development of water resources in a river basin:

  • Given the available water resources and their natural variations, to what extent can a river basin be developed in terms of reservoirs, irrigation schemes and water supply systems, while avoiding unacceptable crop damage, harm to other water users, or threat to ecosystem sustainability?

  • When and where will conflicts between water users occur, such as between hydro-power production and agricultural development, or industrial development and the degree of water pollution in the basin? How can a different operational or management option for water resources management in the basin deliver different results?

  • What is the potential hydro-power production in the basin?

• Assessment of infrastructure, operational and demand management measures:

  • What is the effect of potential measure(s) to improve water supply for various users considering water quantity and flow composition at selected critical locations?

  • What are the agricultural production costs and yields associated with the implementation of potential intervention measures in the agricultural sector?

• River basin planning and management studies the demand and allocation in a river basin is modelled and the effect of various measures, strategies and scenarios are assessed.

• Studies to analyze various filling strategies and determine the best strategy in various situations

• Hydro-power studies to analyze the hydro-power potential in a river basin at reservoirs and run-of-river hydro-power stations.

• Irrigation system studies to analyze improvements of the operation of irrigation systems e.g. alternative crop plan, alternative agriculture cultivation and irrigation practice.

• Studies to determine the optimal operation rules for reservoirs. This can also be carried out in combination with Deltares RTC tools software.

• Reservoir sedimentation studies which need alternative reservoir inflow time series depending on upstream developments e.g. in upstream neighboring countries

• Lake and reservoir water quality studies which need alternative inflow time series and substance concentrations depending on upstream developments e.g. in upstream neighboring countries.

• Studies which analyze the adaptative pathway in which alternative developments over time in a river basin are analyzed.

• Use as operational water demand and allocation model in a operational system e.g. Delft FEWS (Flood Early Warning System). This is usually mentioned as a DEWS (Drought Early Warning System).

• Tool for training young river basin managers who simulate the water demand, allocation and water quality levels in their basins, so they get feeling for the relationship among the various water users in the basin and proportion of the water balance components.

• Tool for training irrigation system managers who simulate the water demand and allocation in their irrigation system. They can design a provisional crop plan and analyze the crop under various hydrological (dry, average, wet) situation. The get feeling for proportion of the water balance components of their irrigation system.

• Case study training tool for MSc students who must develop a river basin model using RIBASIM and carry out a water shortage analysis in which the effects of various mitigating measures must be assessed.

• Research tool for PhD students who carry out basin research in which water demand and allocation within a basin is relevant e.g. for river and reservoir sedimentation, environmental flow, irrigation system operation, hydro-power potential, rainfall-runoff, land-use change, climate change.