Why is Water Demand Management Important?

• In Theory
– Provides more reliable water supplies at a
reasonable cost
– Has environmental benefits
– Helps the utility conform to regulatory
requirements
• In Practice
– Yemen faces depleting water resources and
growing demand
 Water Demand Management
• Introduction
– The use of efficient and appropriate pumping,
distribution metering and usage means are
essential for enhancing WDM
– Demand control reduces investment
requirement and maintains production cost at
reasonable levels
– The existence of a well organized institutional
framework is essential for controlling usage
and demand
 Water Demand Management
• Facts and Figures about Yemen
– Agriculture consumes 90% of the annual water use
– Irrigation efficiency 35%-50%
– Irrigation savings should be calculated at basin level
– Improvement of irrigation efficiency at farm level and
in conveyance
– U-f-W in urban water is around 50%
– Cost for reducing losses/m3 in irrigation is less than
that from new drilling
WDM and Institutional Framework
• Water Demand Management is better
achieved with:
– Integration of water and wastewater services
– Unification of water users along with
municipal, private sector and cooperative
water and sewerage bodies under regional
establishments
– Separation between the regulatory body and
the operational bodies
 Actions Leading to WDM

• Conduct a strategic plan and have annual

goals
• Define the area, time frame, and
assumptions
• Prepare inventory for: Sources,
distribution, and metering systems
• Collect, sort, and analyze available
information such as reports, studies,
research, and Master Plans
 Actions Leading to WDM

• Identify ongoing rehabilitation projects,

awareness campaigns, and water saving
projects
• Define your strategies and action plan
• Conduct Cost-Benefit analyses
• Set your project’s priority
 Possible WDM Strategies
• Implement • Public Education and
Rehabilitation awareness campaigns
programs for ground
water sources to save directed to domestic
?? mcm/y consumers, farmers,
• Implement institutions, and industry
rehabilitation programs – School programs,
for main conveyance & – Mass media advertising,
distribution networks to
save ??mcm/y – Outreach programs,
• Install suitable water – Demonstration projects to
meters to save save
??mcm/y
 Possible WDM Strategies

• Economic incentives • Promote the use of

– Pricing,
– Subsidies and rebates
– Save ?? Mcm/y
• Laws and regulations
• Define other alternative
– Tradable water rights
– Local codes &
ordinances
– ?? MCM/y
saving devices and
techniques for all types
of users and uses to
save ??mcm/y
options:
– Rationing,
– Use of grey water, and
– Rain harvesting to save
– ?? MCM/y
 Loss Reduction and Saving Tools
• Rehabilitation of wells, springs, pumps, and
mains
• Rehabilitation and /or replacement of
distribution systems
• Meters maintenance, calibration, and
replacement
• Regular inspection and maintenance of the
systems
– Leak Detection, regular maintenance and preventive
maintenance
 Loss Reduction and Saving Tools
• Pressure Management
• Rehabilitation of irrigation systems and
• Use of irrigation Saving techniques
• Socio-Economic factors: Public
awareness and Economic incentives
• Regulatory interventions
Main Causes for Physical Losses in the
Network
• Internal and external corrosion of pipes
• High pressure that can’t be sustained by
the pipes
• Unsuitable material, pipes laying, valves,
and consumer connections
• Network aging and poor maintenance
How to Reduce U-f-W in the Network?

• Prepare a long term Master plan

• Implement annual expansion and major
rehabilitation projects according to the
master plan
• Conduct network rehabilitation and
maintenance programs:
– Regular, preventive, and leak detection
How to Reduce U-f-W in the Network?

• Monitor main water meters: supply,

purchase and distribution
• Construct a remote control and
monitoring system
• Leak detection and network zoning
activities
• Pressure management
 Network efficiency at JWU
Effect of maintenance and Rehab. Activities

78/79
84/85
% U-f-W

2000-2004
% U-f-W

Year
•Drop in U-f-W in 1978/79 was due to replacing 5000 velocity water meters with volumetric meters
•Drop in U-f-W in 1984/85 due to replacing a deteriorated 6 inch, 10 km pipe with a 10 inch one in Beit-Hanina
•Increase of U-f-W 2000-2004 due to Israeli security measures, On-going Uprising and lack of financial resources
 Lessons Learned
• Savings due to reduction of physical losses:
– Result in an additional source of low cost water
– Reflect the management’s commitment towards:
• Preserving national resources
• The public, the environment, and regulations
– Enhance the utility’s financial capabilities, cost
recovery, and sustainability
– U-f-W program can even generate the cash to pay for
itself

Win! Win!
 Metering System and UfW
• Recommendations
– Meter all consumers
– Utility to provide, own, install and maintain
meters
– Check meters on bulk supplies – purchased
water or main transmission lines
– Water flow in bulk meters should not exceed
recommended flow rate
 Metering System and UfW
• Facts and Figures
– Bulk consumption may exceed 30% of total
consumption
– Bulk consumers are less than 1% in number
– U-f-W in bulk meters could be as high as 10%
of total U-f-W
 Metering System and UfW
• The use of the right type of meters leads
to:
– Accurate and fair registration of consumption
which reduces U-f-W
– Achieving the cost recovery goal
 Selecting the Right Type of Meters
• Technical factors to consider:
– Use of water or mode of consumption: Quantity (l/h)
– Flow pattern: Permanent or intermittent supply
• Effects of consumption through tanks on different types
– Pressure in the network
– Water meter registration curve
• Manufacturer’s Curve
– Water quality
• Level of scale deposits
– Additional components:
• Built in strainer, Non-Return Valve (NRV)
Effect of replacing old velocity meters with new volumetric meters
in the city of Nablus
(On registered consumption in 1997)
 Public Education Strategy
• Public education is an effective and least controversial
approach to water conservation

• Individual users of water (both farmers and urban dwellers)

vary in their water-using habits and practices and can
improve

• Adoption of efficient water-using behaviors can save up to 35

percent in domestic use

• Public information campaigns alone have achieved 5 to 10

percent reductions in urban demand
 Regulatory Intervention
(Laws & regulations)
• Enabling institutional and legal environment is an
important prerequisite to the implementation of
demand management programs

• Governmental programs can be designed to provide

economic incentives for water conservation

• “Command and control” and “direct intervention”

approaches can produce quick gains in water-use
efficiency
 Regulatory intervention
(Laws & regulations)
• Water Resources should not be utilized free of
charge.
• Private owners of water sources should be
charged annual license fees.
• Financial penalties should be imposed against
violators of water allocation.
• Measuring devices should be mounted on water
sources
• Prices of treated waste water should encourage
farmers to use it for irrigation.
 Demand Management and Water
Economics

• Water Prices are tools that have direct effect

on controlling Water demand.

• Water prices should be linked to:

– Water Economic Value
– Water Cost
– National Plans and Policies
 Savings through economic incentives and
disincentives
• Recognizing and treating water as an economic
good has far reaching implications for water
management:
– Efficiency-in-use: Wasteful water use practices can be
eliminated and efficiency and conservation can be
encouraged if water is priced at its (real) marginal cost

– Resource allocation: By creating an economic market

for water, the available supply would go to the highest bidder
and the highest value uses

– Water pollution: “Polluter pays” principle would provide

for treatment of wastewater if the cost is less than economic
damage caused by pollution
.
 Principles and Guidelines for Effective
Water Charges

• Water has a unique value for human survival and

health

• Tariff structure based on full economic cost of water

• Tariff burden fairly distributed on the social levels

• Sewerage fees integrated with water use fee

• Water tariff must reflect the national plans

 Irrigation Water Pricing

• Farmers underestimate the value of

water

• Poor tariff systems encourage the use

of drinking water for irrigation which
leads to misuse of resources
Measuring Results

Water Demand
Management
Activities
 Water Demand Management
Financial Indicators

• Ratio of maintenance cost per m3

to average cost per m3

• Cost of public awareness campaigns

per consumer