Premium
A Game Theory Approach to the Problems of International River Basins
Author(s) -
Rogers Peter
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr005i004p00749
Subject(s) - riparian zone , flood control , flood myth , drainage basin , game theory , water resource management , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental resource management , environmental science , environmental planning , geography , mathematics , geology , mathematical economics , cartography , geotechnical engineering , ecology , archaeology , habitat , biology
The lower Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers flow out of India and join together in the province of East Pakistan to form one of the major river systems in the world. Each year the rivers flood during the monsoon, causing loss of life and great damage to crops and property. The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that the best flood control points in the basin are not under the political control of Pakistan, which suffers most from the floods. The number of possible combinations of structural and nonstructural variables for this river system is so large that conventional methods of analysis are inadequate. We demonstrate that by use of systems analysis techniques, including linear programing and game theory, we are able to consider a rational plan to control the floods while taking advantage at the same time of the complementarities which exist between flood control and other possible uses for the river, such as power production, irrigation, navigation, and salinity control. Moreover using the concepts of game theory we are able to investigate a range of strategies for cooperation between the two riparian nations which will result in significant benefits to each.