Water requirement estimation of green spaces in hot and arid areas using the landscape plant factor(case study: Sistan and Baluchestan University)

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Design Engineering, Faculty of Geography and environmental planning, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran

10.29252/aridbiom.2025.23065.2049

Abstract

The aim of this study is to estimate the water requirement of green spaces in the University of Sistan and Baluchestan using the landscape coefficient and classifying water requirement for each plant species based on (WUCOLS) method. The university's green spaces (area 20.46 hectares) was divided into three zones according to three characteristics of the landscape coefficient, including plant factor, planting density, and existing microclimate. Zone A (coniferous trees with high density and green cover on the ground), zone B (broadleaf trees with medium and low density and green cover on the ground), and zone C (grasslands with low density, scattered trees and shrubs and soil cover on the ground). Climatic data from the Zahedan meteorological station over a 30-year period (1993-2023) were used to calculate reference evapotranspiration and effective rainfall. Findings show that the annual water requirement estimation to irrigate the entire green space is 872664.76 cubic meters with an efficiency of 35%. Maximum annual water resource consumption among the existing zones in order is, zone B (480141.53 cubic meters), zone A (385241 cubic meters) and zone C (7282.23 cubic meters). Planning to remove the ground level green cover in Zone A, due to high density of pine trees, and also replacing ornamental grass species in Zone B with xeriscape plants and artificial mulches can be short-term solutions to reduce water consumption in the university's green space. Also, developing sprinkler and drip irrigation systems and maximizing the use of gray water resources instead of drinking water in all three zones is proposed as a long-term solution.

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References

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Journal of Arid Biome
Volume 15, Issue 1
March 2025
Pages 1-19

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