Protection and performance of the ancestral water supply system ‘Khettara’ as a sustainable alternative for arid regions

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1452-1462 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Benqlilou ◽  
S. Bensaid

Located in a semi-arid region in the south and east of the country, the Moroccan oases are characterized by severe aridity and scarcity of water resources. However, the ancestral populations have shown a major form of adaptation to aridity constraints through the development of knowledge and heuristic expertise on a traditional water supply system called ‘Khettara’. Currently, the effects of climate change on the one hand and the deep social, cultural and economic transformations on the other, have caused the productivity of traditional agriculture to no longer match population needs with progressive vanishing of Khettara as its consequence. A diagnostic study of the situation of oases conducted in the south of Morocco makes it possible to address the socio-economic, environmental and cultural aspects by developing and using a specific methodology to assess fragile ecosystems (DPSIR: Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response). The main aim of the present work is to provide a methodology allowing the formulation of the required knowledge for the mobilization of traditional water resources techniques such as Khettaras, in order to maintain the national heritage of oases. The modeling formalism of UML (Unified Modeling Language) is borrowed from information technology for the purpose of standardization. The developed methodology enhances these traditional water supply systems by combining traditional and modern techniques to increase their performance in terms of reduced maintenance costs and increased productivity. The developed methodology has been applied to a real case characterized by extreme aridity.

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen X. Zhang ◽  
Vladan Babovic

Water supply has become a priority for developed and developing nations of the world. Conventional water resources alone cannot meet the growing demand for water in urban cities. Management of the problem is amplified by uncertainty associated with different development strategies. Singapore has limited conventional water resources and progressively architects its water supply system through acquiring and sustaining multiple (alternative) water resources through innovative technologies. The full rationale and merits of such a policy cannot be properly understood based on traditional project valuation methods alone. This paper provides decision support using a real options approach by evaluating innovative water technologies from multiple perspectives under uncertainty. This paper demonstrates that incorporating innovative water technologies into water supply systems can concurrently improve water supply from the financial, political and socioeconomic perspectives. The development of innovative water technologies provides flexibility to the water supply system, and is a fundamental and effective means of risk management. The evaluation of innovative water technologies is based on an integrated real options approach, which provides decision support for architecting water supply systems under uncertainty. The approach gives specific tangible values for the water technologies and complements the general prescriptive Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) framework.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (30) ◽  
pp. 497-503
Author(s):  
A. B. dos SANTOS ◽  
É. C. DIAS ◽  
G. P. C. da SILVA ◽  
R. P. RIBEIRO ◽  
A. M. SILVA

Due to the events of the last years, when, mainly the Southeast region of Brazil has experienced one of the worst periods of water shortage, there has been a process of national awareness for the need of care with the quality and quantity of water. Therefore, currently in the national and world scenario is seeking to minimize the waste of water, acting mainly in the water supply systems, which have the highest loss rates of this liquid. In this way, the objective is to determine the volume of water (1000m³/year) wasted in SAA (Water Supply System), based on the amount of water produced and consumed in the North and Central-West region of Brazil and, from this, compare the losses in those regions, for the year 2015. Based on the analysis of the datas, it was verified that the water supply in the North and Central-West regions presented high losses rates, 43% and 37%, respectively. Actions such as maintenance of sanitary fittings and elimination of leaks in the residence, more efficient operation and maintenance of the system and improvement in the commercial management of service providers, are measures to combat and reduce water losses.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolijn van Engelenburg ◽  
Erik van Slobbe ◽  
Adriaan J. Teuling ◽  
Remko Uijlenhoet ◽  
Petra Hellegers

Abstract. Developments such as climate change and growing demand for drinking water threaten the sustainability of drinking water supply worldwide. To deal with this threat, adaptation of drinking water supply systems is imperative, not only on a global and national scale, but particularly on a local scale. This investigation sought to establish characteristics that describe the sustainability of local drinking water supply. We use an integrated systems approach, describing the local drinking water supply system in terms of hydrological, technical and socio-economic characteristics that determine the sustainability of a local drinking water supply system. Three cases on drinking water supply in the Netherlands are analysed. One case relates to a short-term development, that is the 2018 summer drought, and two concern long-term phenomena, that is, changes in water quality and growth in drinking water demand. The approach taken recognises that next to extreme weather events, socio-economic developments will be among the main drivers of changes in drinking water supply. Effects of pressures associated with, for example, population growth, industrial developments and land use changes, could result in limited water resource availability, deteriorated groundwater quality and growing water demand. To gain a perspective on the case study findings broader than the Dutch context, the sustainability issues identified were paired with global issues concerning sustainable drinking water supply. This resulted in a proposed set of generally applicable sustainability characteristics, each divided into five criteria describing the hydrological, technical and socio-economic sustainability of a local drinking water supply system. Elaboration of these sustainability characteristics and criteria into a sustainability assessment can provide information on the challenges and trade-offs inherent in the sustainable development and management of a local drinking water supply system.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2580
Author(s):  
Yang Zhou ◽  
Eric Lee ◽  
Ling-Tim Wong ◽  
Kwok-Wai Mui

Skyscrapers are common nowadays around the world, especially in cities with limited development area. In order to pump water up to the higher level of a skyscraper, a cascade water supply system has to be installed. Currently, cascade water supply systems are mainly designed based on practical experiences or requirements of existing standards/guidelines that, in fact, are not specifically for skyscrapers. However, thorough studies on cascade water supply system designs are still limited in the literature. This study proposes mathematical models and uses Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the design flow rate of a typical cascade water supply system that feeds various appliances in a residential skyscraper in Hong Kong. Graphs that showed the correlations between the inflow rate in the supply pipe and water volume in the tank are obtained. While tank storage volume is confirmed, the design flow rate of the cascade water supply system can be determined from these graphs. The proposed mathematical models can also be applied to evaluate the design flow rate of cascade water supply systems in other types of skyscrapers (e.g., office, commercial building) as well as with the changes in water demand patterns in the models.


Urban History ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
MANEL GUARDIA ◽  
MARIBEL ROSSELLÓ ◽  
SERGI GARRIGA

ABSTRACTThe development of modern water supply systems has varied widely in terms of speed, paths and results, and each supply system has been strongly conditioned by its spatial, socio-economic and cultural context. Barcelona provides a useful illustration of how such a modern system came into being in a particularly dynamic southern European setting. Despite being Spain's leading industrial centre, the driving force behind the introduction of its new water supply system did not come from an industrial imperative but rather from the city's expansion plan, approved in 1859, which gave rise to a proliferation of private initiatives. Later, decisive changes around the turn of the twentieth century led to a concentration of water companies, sewer renewal projects and the entry of water into the domestic sphere, and the extension of the water supply to people's homes. The development of a modern water supply system in Barcelona, however, required a period of a hundred years – from 1867, when the first steam-powered pumping station was built, to 1967, when the water from the Ter River transfer reached the city, allowing new consumption patterns to spread rapidly.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 400-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
LT Wong ◽  
KW Mui ◽  
Y Zhou

High-rise housing, a trend in densely populated cities around the world, increases energy use for water supply and corresponding greenhouse gas emissions. With emphasis on improving the energy efficiency in the water supply systems, this paper proposes an energy efficiency evaluation measure for the water supply system designs and demonstrates its potential applications in a typical high-rise water supply system. In the proposed measure, the energy efficiency in a water supply system is defined as the potential energy required at the demand locations divided by the pumping energy of the supply system. The outcome of this paper provides useful benchmark references not only for the water supply system designs but also for the water demand management programmes in buildings. Practical application: An energy efficiency evaluation measure for the water supply system designs is used to establish benchmark references for not only the water supply system designs but also for the water demand management programmes in buildings.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iniobong James Ikpeh ◽  
Robby Soetanto ◽  
Aaron Anvuur

Abstract PurposeThe article seeks to examine the understanding of regulation of Non-Utility Water Supply Systems (NUWSS) from perspective of water users in households, the behavioural dimensions of regulation and aspects of the non-utility water supply system that can be regulated.Research Method/DesignThe theory of planned behaviour was used to identify determinants to regulatory compliance across the groups of indicators identified for the regulation of water supply systems. To understand household perception of regulation, interviews were conducted, with questions put to water users in households. A qualitative research approach was adopted, using interviews, and focus group discussion with water users in households.FindingsThe findings indicate that households hold varied perceptions on regulation across the components of the water supply system. Specifically, regulatory compliance by households was influenced by crucial elements such as preferential compliance to regulation within specific aspects of the water supply system. Limitations and implicationsThe inference from this research is based on households from one state in Nigeria. Further exploration of this research in multiple cities and states would widen the applicability of the findings in different contexts.Originality/valueThe study examines regulation and regulatory compliance from the perspective of households who predominantly use Non-Utility Water Supply System (NUWSS) in sub-Saharan Africa.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalibor Vlaški ◽  
Goran Orašanin

The key problem of water utility companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the fight to reduce the level of non revenue water (NRW) is the lack of a unique methodology with clearly defined steps. The aim of this paper is to show the possibility of accepting the concept for the control of water loss in water supply systems, which provides the International Water Association (IWA), and based on the analysis of the effects of the application of water utility companies adopt the recommended practices as an essential step for the analysis of its water supply system, with the aim of providing quality services, creating their own concept of self-sustaining and achieving customer satisfaction. Regarding the fact, a research was conducted with the aim of determining the level of non revenue water in utilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. One part of the survey involved assessment for the 20 water utility companies with different characteristics, while the second one is related to the measured data from 7 water utility companies. The analysis of the effects of IWA methodology application for reducing water loss was carried out by experimental measurements on a separate part of the water supply system defined as a district metered area (DMA), in Bosnia and Herzegovina.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanel Buljubašić

Freshwater water resources are not inexhaustible [1]. In recent decades, more and more facts point to this statement from the European Charter for Water. Uncontrolled drinking water interventions, losses in water supply and climate change indicate the problem of sufficient quantities of drinking water [2]. Looking at this problem, it is hard to believe that new quantities of drinking water can be produced. The model of integrated water management has been increasingly used in recent years. The application of new technologies in water supply creates conditions for the controlled management of water intakes and losses in water supply. Each water sapply system needs to develop its own model for integrated water management.


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