Interregional Water Systems: An Alternative for Integrated Water Management Through Game Theory Application

This study evaluates the feasibility of implementing water markets and improving decision-making for irrigated agriculture in transboundary water basins. It analyzes the physical and economic potential of cooperation between institutions and users in the face of recurrent water scarcity. The research's study case is the Conchos River basin in Chihuahua, Mexico, where agriculture accounts for 96% of the state's water use. The basin, with its four main irrigation districts: 005 Delicias, 090 Ojinaga, 103 Florido, and 113 Alto Conchos, contributes approximately 80% of the volume committed in the 1944 International Boundary and Water Treaty between Mexico and the United States. The methodology integrates Cooperative Game Theory with Positive Mathematical Programming (PMP) in Python version 3.12 to optimize water allocation. The models consider crop coefficients, yield response to water deficit, and regulatory proposals: water transfer (75% efficiency), fodder production flexibility (10%), and saving 20% of the maximum transferable volume for the treaty. Results show that cooperation between districts allows positive gains to be maintained, even with a 50% reduction in water availability.