scholarly journals Development of a Multi-Methodological Approach to Support the Management of Water Supply Systems

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1655
Author(s):  
Wanderbeg C. de Araujo ◽  
Karla P. Oliveira-Esquerre ◽  
Oz Sahin
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
System Dynamics ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Wastewater Reuse ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Basin Water ◽  
The Impact

The benefits provided by a model of system dynamics are directly related to its correct construction. One of the main challenges in the process of building such models is that they must be able to effectively represent a specific problematic situation. Thus, the main objective of this study is to develop a multi-methodological approach, adapting the problem structuring method of strategic options development and analysis (SODA) in the initial stage of the system dynamics (SD) model. The role of each of them clearly represents the contribution of this study: the SODA in the structuring (representation) phase of the problem and proposition of alternatives and the SD in the evaluation phase of these alternatives. To illustrate its application, the multimethodological approach developed was used to simulate scenarios considering management strategies, and the various variables affecting a water supply system, including population growth, in order to evaluate more “assertive” water management strategy(s) that could have been adopted to address the water crisis (2012–2017) and analysis future scenarios. The results show that, based on the vision of specialists with enough experience for the case studied, it was possible to structure the problem, and therefore propose a set of strategies (alternatives), which were: water loss control, wastewater reuse, application of more efficient tariffs to reduce water waste, inter-basin water transfer, and awareness regarding the use of water resources. After the survey of alternatives, scenarios were simulated considering these water management strategies. Simulation results showed that actions taken on the demand side would only be effective for a short period of water scarcity, (for example, the impact of the scarcity-based tariff on water consumption reduction). For severe drought scenarios and with a water producing system heavily dependent on rainfall, such action would no longer be efficient. However, water supply management-oriented strategies, e.g., inter-basin water transfers (PISF) and wastewater reuse, are highly effective in securing water supply and preventing water supply collapse in the region. The development of this multi-methodological approach is expected to be useful to support managers in the decision-making and implementation of water management strategies.

scholarly journals Building a System Dynamics Model to Support Water Management: A Case Study of the Semiarid Region in the Brazilian Northeast

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanderbeg Correia de Araujo ◽  
Karla Oliveira Esquerre ◽  
Oz Sahin
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Wastewater Reuse ◽  
Water Transfer ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
System Dynamics Model ◽  
Dynamics Model ◽  
Basin Water ◽  
Brazilian Northeast

In recent centuries, water consumption rates have more than doubled and the population growth rate is rising constantly. As a result, water scarcity is now one of the main problems to be faced, mainly in semiarid regions. In light of such a dilemma, this study aims to develop a system dynamics model in order to evaluate the water system in the semiarid region of the state of Paraíba—located in the Brazilian Northeast—and it focus on the following two issues: (1) measures that could have been taken with respect to the recent water crisis (2012–2017); (2) simulating water availability up to 2025. It was observed that, despite the options of in-demand management tools being efficient solutions for water scarcity in the short term (e.g., the influence of scarcity-based tariffs in reducing water use), such tools would not suffice in a context of severe drought within a water-providing system that depends heavily on rainfall. However, certain policies involving water-supply management (e.g., wastewater reuse and inter-basin water transfer) are very effective in maintaining water supply and avoiding a water collapse in the region. Furthermore, employing the Monte Carlo approach in simulating the system dynamic proved that the water supply is sensitive to scarcity-based tariffs, wastewater reuse, and inter-basin water transfer. An important advancement in this study was the simulation of a methodology for pricing that encourages rational use of water-based on its scarcity, which in turn increases revenue and investment in other water-management strategies.

scholarly journals Optimal Implementation of Wastewater Reuse in Existing Sewerage Systems to Improve Resilience and Sustainability in Water Supply Systems

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2004
Author(s):  
Aakash Dev ◽  
Timo C. Dilly ◽  
Amin E. Bakhshipour ◽  
Ulrich Dittmer ◽  
S. Murty Bhallamudi
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Wastewater Reuse ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Test Cases ◽  
Decentralized Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Graywater Reuse ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Supply Systems

A transition from conventional centralized to hybrid decentralized systems has been increasingly advised recently due to their capability to enhance the resilience and sustainability of urban water supply systems. Reusing treated wastewater for non-potable purposes is a promising opportunity toward the aforementioned resolutions. In this study, we present two optimization models for integrating reusing systems into existing sewerage systems to bridge the supply–demand gap in an existing water supply system. In Model-1, the supply–demand gap is bridged by introducing on-site graywater treatment and reuse, and in Model-2, the gap is bridged by decentralized wastewater treatment and reuse. The applicability of the proposed models is evaluated using two test cases: one a proof-of-concept hypothetical network and the other a near realistic network based on the sewerage network in Chennai, India. The results show that the proposed models outperform the existing approaches by achieving more than a 20% reduction in the cost of procuring water and more than a 36% reduction in the demand for freshwater through the implementation of local on-site graywater reuse for both test cases. These numbers are about 12% and 34% respectively for the implementation of decentralized wastewater treatment and reuse.

scholarly journals Water Use Efficiency Current Status Assessment in the Context of WATenERgy CYCLE Project

Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (11) ◽  
pp. 602
Author(s):  
Stavroula Tsitsifli ◽  
Anastasia Papadopoulou ◽  
Vasilis Kanakoudis ◽  
Konstantinos Gonelas
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
National Level ◽  
Water Utilities ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Supply Systems

Water use efficiency is a crucial issue in drinking water utilities as it is connected to environmental and economic consequences. WATenERgy CYCLE project aims at developing a methodological approach towards efficient and effective transnational water and energy resources management in the Balkan–Mediterranean area. The paper presents the results of performance evaluation of the water supply systems of the water utilities involved in the project, both at local and national level. The methodology used in the water balance and performance indicators as well as data on the operational status of the water supply systems. The results showed that Non-Revenue Water is one of the major problems addressed.

scholarly journals Managing Water Quality in Intermittent Supply Systems: The Case of Mukono Town, Uganda

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 806
Author(s):  
Takuya Sakomoto ◽  
Mahmood Lutaaya ◽  
Edo Abraham
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Health Hazard ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Chemical Contamination ◽  
Intermittent Water Supply ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Supply Systems

Intermittent water supply networks risk microbial and chemical contamination through multiple mechanisms. In particular, in the cities of developing countries, where intrusion through leaky pipes are more prevalent and the sanitation systems coverage is low, contaminated water can be a public health hazard. Although countries using intermittent water supply systems aim to change to continuous water supply systems—for example, Kampala city is targeting to change to continuous water supply by 2025 through an expansion and rehabilitation of the pipe infrastructure—it is unlikely that this transition will happen soon because of rapid urbanisation and economic feasibility challenges. Therefore, water utilities need to find ways to supply safe drinking water using existing systems until gradually changing to a continuous supply system. This study describes solutions for improving water quality in Mukono town in Uganda through a combination of water quality monitoring (e.g., identifying potential intrusion hotspots into the pipeline using field measurements) and interventions (e.g., booster chlorination). In addition to measuring and analyses of multiple chemical and microbial water quality parameters, we used EPANET 2.0 to simulate the water quality dynamics in the transport pipeline to assess the impact of interventions.

scholarly journals Impacts of Climatic Change on Reference Crop Evapotranspiration across Different Climatic Zones of Ningxia at Multi-Time Scales from 1957 to 2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Ziyang Zhao ◽  
Hongrui Wang ◽  
Cheng Wang ◽  
Wangcheng Li ◽  
Hao Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Crop Evapotranspiration ◽  
Climatic Zones ◽  
Reference Crop Evapotranspiration ◽  
Short Period ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Reference Crop

The impact of global climate change on agroecosystems is growing, affecting reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0) and subsequent agricultural water management. In this study, the climate factors temporal trends, the spatiotemporal variation, and the climate driving factors of ET0 at different time scales were evaluated across the Northern Yellow River Irrigation Area (NYR), Central Arid Zone (CAZ), and Southern Mountain Area (SMA) of Ningxia based on 20 climatic stations’ daily data from 1957 to 2018. The results showed that the Tmean (daily mean air temperature), Tmax (daily maximum air temperature), and Tmin (daily minimum air temperature) all had increased significantly over the past 62 years, whilst RH (relative humidity), U2 (wind speed at 2 m height), and SD (sunshine duration) had significantly decreasing trends across all climatic zones. At monthly scale, the ET0 was mainly concentrated from April to September. And at annual and seasonal scales, the overall increasing trends were more pronounced in NX, NYR, and SMA, while CAZ was the opposite. For the spatial distribution, ET0 presented a trend of rising first and then falling at all time scales. The abrupt change point for climatic factors and ET0 series was obtained at approximately 1990 across all climatic zones, and the ET0 had a long period of 25a and a short period of 10a at annual scale, while it was 15a and 5a at seasonal scale. RH and Tmax were the most sensitive climatic factors at the annual and seasonal scales, while the largest contribution rates were Tmax and SD. This study not only is important for the understanding of ET0 changes but also provides the preliminary and elementary reference for agriculture water management in Ningxia.

Drought and water management in the German agricultural sector - a participatory system dynamics approach

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Valencia ◽  
Sabine Egerer ◽  
María Máñez
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
System Dynamics ◽  
Model Building ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Group Model ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

<p>Higher temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns caused by climate change may potentially affect water availability for agriculture and increase the risk of crop loss in Northeast Lower Saxony (NELS), Germany. The drought of 2018 showed that an intensification of irrigation might be a temporary solution. However, a long-term increase in water extraction, especially during drought periods, is not a sustainable solution. To assess possible water management solutions, we implement a participatory system dynamics approach, namely Group Model Building, to develop a qualitative system dynamics model (QSDM) describing the agricultural system and its relation to water resources in NELS.</p><p>The development of the QSDM seeks to understand the complexity of the interactions between agriculture and hydrological systems, recognize the stakeholders’ needs and identify risks and weaknesses of both systems. By understanding this, we expect to reinforce the adaptation process, reduce conflict and be able to suggest tailored solutions and adaptation measures. The QSDM incorporates a wide range of perceptions, as twenty stakeholders ranging from farmers, government agencies, environmental protection organizations and local water authorities were involved in the QSDM development. Their perceptions were recorded in the QSDM through individual interviews and a group workshop.</p><p>Through the QSDM, we identified and mapped the structure and connections between agriculture and the water balance. It was also possible to identify the strongest feedback loops governing both sectors as well as their influence on the current situation. The loops represent behaviors and structures, which might become unmanageable under climate change conditions. The causal loops include the different uses for the available water of the region, the impact of irrigation, the significance of crop selection and the importance of sustainable soil management.</p><p>By analyzing the system this way, we confirmed that climate change poses a risk to the region as elevated temperatures could increase the crop water demand and increase the need for irrigation. In the same way, changes in the rain patterns could affect the water balance of the region. The agricultural system has, however, potential to adapt by implementing new water management strategies such as restructuring water rights, water storage and reuse and conjunctive water use. Other measures include increasing the irrigation efficiency, changing crops and enhancing the soil quality, among others.</p>

Irrigator and Environmental Water Management Adaptation to Climate Change and Water Reallocation in the Murray–Darling Basin

2015 ◽  
Vol 01 (03) ◽  
pp. 1550009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mac Kirby ◽  
Jeff Connor ◽  
Mobin-ud Din Ahmad ◽  
Lei Gao ◽  
Mohammed Mainuddin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Net Income ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Murray Darling Basin ◽  
Gross Income ◽  
The Impact

In an earlier paper (Kirby et al. 2014a), we showed that climate change and a new policy which reallocates water to the environment will impact both the flow of water and the income derived from irrigation in the Murray–Darling Basin. Here, we extend the analysis to consider irrigator and environmental water management strategies to adapt to these new circumstances. Using an integrated hydrology-economics model, we examine a range of strategies and their impact on flows and the gross income of irrigation. We show that the adaptation strategies provide a range of flow and economic outcomes in the Basin. Several strategies offer significant scope to enhance flows without large adverse impacts on the gross income of irrigation overall. Some environmental water management strategies enhance flows in the Murray part of the basin even under the drying influence of a projected median climate change. Irrigator strategies that include carryover of water in storage from one year to the next provide for lesser year to year variability in gross income and may be regarded as more advantageous in providing security against droughts. Flows and the gross income of low value irrigation industries strategies are sensitive to climate change, irrespective of adaptation strategy. Should a projected dry extreme climate change be realized, no strategy can prevent a large reduction in flows and also in gross income, particularly of low value irrigation industries. Nevertheless, environmental water management strategies mitigate the impact on flows, and in some cases may also help mitigate the impacts on gross income. High value irrigation industries are less affected (in terms of gross income, though net income will reduce because of rising water prices) by projected climate change, consistent with observation in the recent long term drought.

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