Analyzing the role of consumer behavior in coping with intermittent supply in water distribution systems

Abstract

Abstract In developing countries, most water distribution systems (WDS) are operated as intermittent water supply (IWS) systems. A significant share of them also delivers water to consumers in irregular and unreliable ways. To meet water demands under such inconsistent WDS operations, IWS consumers commonly adapt to flexible consumption behaviors characterized by storing the limited water available during shorter supply periods in intermediate storage facilities for subsequent usage during more extended non-supply periods. Towards accounting for this characteristic behavior in understanding the IWS behavior more realistically, this paper presented the development, functioning, and application of a novel open-source PYTHON-based simulation tool (EPyT-IWS) for WDS, virtually acting like an IWS modeling extension of EPANET 2.2. EPyT-IWS integrates EPANET 2.2 solver with an independent hydraulic solver to mimic the water withdrawal during supply periods, storage in intermediate storage facilities, and subsequent use. The applicability of the simulation tool was demonstrated by performing extended-period hydraulic simulations on a typical WDS with representative IWS attributes. The simulation outcomes showed that practicing the typical consumption behavior, involving storing water within underground tanks and later pumping it into overhead tanks, allows consumers to cope with the intermittent water availability and meet their demands very suitably. Besides the water supply duration, the clock time of water supply in IWS systems was predicted to influence consumers' ability to fill the intermediate storage tanks and meet water demands. This study's overall findings can advance the state-of-the-art for planning, designing, and operating WDS with IWS characteristics.