A study on the effects of intermittent water supply on the vulnerability of urban water distribution networks

Abstract

Faced with extended periods of drought and short supply of water, arid-weather countries have turned to intermittent water supply (IWS) as a means to reduce water consumption and to prolong their national water reserves. Unfortunately, such drastic measures usually fail to consider the effects of intermittent supply on the condition of piping networks and the resulting water losses, inefficiencies and overall maintenance cost on these networks. Presented herein is research work on the effects of IWS on the vulnerability of urban water distribution networks (UWDN) based on a 3-year dataset from major urban centres in Cyprus. The dataset includes information on breakage incidents, operating network parameters, external factors and vulnerability assessment and by use of data-mining and survival analysis techniques evaluates the effects of such intermittent supply strategies on the vulnerability of the water pipes and on the sustainability of the strategy.