Modeling the Water Systems

Abstract

This chapter is concerned with the water systems in Mauritius. Section 15.2 identifies water management and land use as the most important long-term environmental issues in Mauritius. Section 15.3 provides a brief overview of various components of water systems within Mauritius. The conceptual framework and principles of operation of the surface freshwater model, which includes water supply, water demand, and water balance, are described in Section 15.4. This section is followed by the presentation of the lagoon model in Section 15.5. Finally, Section 15.6 presents the user interfaces of the water models, through a discussion of the principles for scenario construction and the user-specified water-policy variables.

This chapter is a substantially revised version of Toth (1992). The author is indebted to Laszlö Somlyödy and Toolseeram Ramjeawon for their comments on earlier versions. Special thanks are due to Laszlö Somlyödy and Günther Fischer for their help in developing and formulating the lagoon model. Any remaining errors are the sole responsibility of the author.