Urban Water Supply System Performance Assessment, the Case of Asella Town, Ethiopia

Abstract

The Irregular Distribution Of Water Is A Major Challenge To Water Management In Developing Countries, Including Ethiopia. There Are Several Reasons For This, Such As Population Expansion, Increasing Water Consumption, And Lack Of Resources. Because Of This, Water Utilities Are Finding It Difficult To Give Their Consumers A Reliable And Adequate Supply Of Water. The Utility Of Asella Town Is Having Difficulty Meeting The Demands Of The Town's Expanding Population; The Town Is Experiencing Water Shortages. Moreover, The Water Utility Lacks The Equipment, Components, Or Regulations Required To Manage Leaks Effectively. Several Important Performance Measures, Including The Primary Physical Characteristics, Customer Satisfaction, Operation And Maintenance, And Water Loss, Are Used In This Study To Evaluate The Town Water Supply System?�?S In Order To Concretely Identify The Issue And Then Guide It Toward A Solution. In Order To Achieve The Goal, The Level Of Customer Satisfaction And The Hydraulic Performance Of The Distribution Network Were Assessed. A Combination Of Primary And Secondary Data Has Been Found For This Study Utilizing A Variety Of Software Programs, Including Google Earth, Arcgis 10.7.1, GPS, And WaterGEMS. A Graphical Display Of The Results From Hydraulic Modeling And A Modified Water Distribution Network Was Created Using GIS And WaterGEMS. Google Earth Was Utilized For The Purpose Of Collecting And Analysing Data Pertaining To The Water Distribution Network. To Determine The Level Of Customer Satisfaction With The Town's Water Supply Services, A Random Sample Of 374 Households Was Selected From The Total Of 14664 Customers. According To A Bentley WaterGEMS Hydraulic Analysis, During Peaks Water Demand, 36.30% Of The Water Distribution System's Nodes Have Pressure Below The Required Minimum And 3.03% Have Pressure Above The Maximum Acceptable Pressure. Static Pressure In Pipes Caused By Water Flows Less Than 0.6 M/S May Encourage The Growth Of Bacteria And Debris. Moreover, 2 M/S Of Water Flow Might Result In Head Loss And Water Damage. The Water Flow Rate In The Town's Water Distribution System Was Insufficient At A Period Of Low Water Demand. This Could Result In Issues Including Head Loss, Pipe Breaks, Water Hammer, Stagnant Water And Sediment Build-Up In The Pipes. As A Result, The Water Distribution Network's Flow Velocity Needs To Be Managed. The Validation Was Done By The Mentioned Formula, And The Data Presented Shows A Significant Positive Correlation For Both Minimum Demand And Peak Hour Demand Between The Simulated And Measured Pressure During Calibration. With Corresponding R2values Of 0.90 And 0.85, Respectively, The WaterGEMS Model Was Calibrated Using Fifteen Nodes Data Points At Minimum And Peak Hour Consumption. This Is A Good Result That Suggests The Model Is Correctly Representing The System's Behavior. In Conclusion, The Water Service Should Adopt, According To The Findings Of The Study. The Water Utility Should Put This Study's Recommendations Into Implementation. As A Result, The Water Distribution System Will Operate More Efficiently And Offer Consumers Better Service.