Basin management in terms of irrigation in the climate change adaptation process: Case study in the Upper Kızılırmak Basin

Considering that Turkey is among the risky countries in terms of the effects of global warming and will face problems such as decreasing water resources, drought and desertification over time, changing rainfall regime, increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters such as drought and floods, the importance of watershed management due to climate change increases even more. In this study, basin management in terms of irrigation in the Upper Kızılırmak Basin, which is a sub-basin of the Kızılırmak Basin in Türkiye, was examined in terms of current status, optimistic and pessimistic situations by creating simulation models with different scenarios with WEAP (Water Evaluation and Planning System) software. As a result of 4 different scenarios, the amount of water that cannot be met in 2050 will be 14,60 hm3 in case the need for drinking and potable water increases, the most unfavorable scenario in which the flows decrease by 20%, no improvement is made in irrigation and the drinking water loss and leakage rate cannot be reduced to 20%; the amount of water that cannot be met in the current situation will be 1.691,82 hm3 in the current situation will be 1.776,62 hm3 if open irrigation systems are converted to closed pressurized systems and the amount of loss and leakage in drinking water in Sivas is reduced to 20%; if no improvement is made in these values and a 20% decrease in flows occurs due to climate change, this value will decrease to 1.385,11 hm3.