ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF CIVIL AND ENV'TAL ENG'G

STREAM OF WATER SUPPLY & ENV'TAL ENG'G
COURSE TITLE:- MODELING WATER DISTRIBUTION
EFFCIENCY OF DIFFERENT DEMAND MANAGEMENT MEASURES

BY:-

1. WONDIMU ELIAS..................................GSR/2168/07
2. GETAHUN.............................................GSR/21 /07
3. TESFA...................................................GSR/21 /07
4. TEMESGEN SAMUEL.........................GSR/2166/07

Submitted to: Dr. Mebrate

Table of Contents

Table of Content ............................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 What is water demand management? .................................................................................... 1
2. Effective Water Demand Management Measures ..................................................................... 1
2.1 Water demand management measures in the agricultural (irrigation) sector ...................... 1
2.2 Water demand management measures in the municipal sector........................................... 2
2.3 Water demand management measures in the industrial sector ........................................... 2
2.4 Water demand management measures in the power generation sector .............................. 2
2.5 Water demand management measures in the environmental water use sector ..................... 2
3. Measures for water demand management efficiency................................................................. 3
3.1 Water Management through Pricing: Some Evidence .......................................................... 3
References ....................................................................................................................................... 5

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1. Introduction
1.1 What is water demand management?
Any action which reduces the demand for fresh water through the more efficient usage of water,
there by influencing the water balance to the benefit of mankind and life on earth.

WDM helps to:-

 Reduce loss and misuse in the various water sectors (intra-sector efficiency);
 Optimize water use by assuring a reasonable allocation between the various users (cross
sectoral efficiency) while taking account of the supply needs of stream flow processes;
resource conservation, renewal, and quality; and the development of in situ uses of water
– recreational activities, aquaculture and fisheries, energy;
 Add more value per unit of resource mobilized;
 Facilitate major financial and infrastructure savings for countries, cities and companies;
(Rosegrant and Ringler, 1998).

2. Effective Water Demand Management Measures

Any activity, practice, technological device, law, or policy that can potentially reduce water use
may be considered a demand management (or conservation) measure. Hundreds of different
measures can be found in the literature. Several methods of grouping individual measures are
possible. One frequently used method is categorization by the purpose of water use to which the
measures apply. Examples of technologies and efficient water use measures that can be
employed to reduce water use for the major sectors of users are listed below:

2.1 Water demand management measures in the agricultural (irrigation)

sector
There are numerous water demand management measures in agriculture many revolving around
water loss control, tariff structures and actual water metering. Two interesting new irrigation
methods which could be regarded as water demand management measures, are the so-called
surge and casing irrigation methods. With the surge method water is pushed in a small number
of gushes into irrigation beds thereby reducing evaporation during long irrigation application
periods. The casing or sleeve irrigation method channels water by way of casings or sleeves
down to the root zones of crops where the water is actually needed and absorbed by plants.

Other interesting water demand management measures in the agricultural sector include
scientific scheduling with modern technology, agro-sanitation, the choice of irrigation crops and
the eradication of unwanted water thirsty plants. Landscaping such as contouring, does not only
reduce soil erosion, but also saves water by keeping more water on the agricultural lands.

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Rainwater harvesting is a water demand management measure which attracts much interest
Source:(Management of the Water Resources of South Africa, 1986)

2.2 Water demand management measures in the municipal sector

Domestic water tariff measures are quite general with increasing block water tariffs usually
being quite effective. The installation of water meters and the detection of water leaks usually
also yield good results. Water-wise gardening can contribute much to water savings around the
home. Using low flow showerheads. Etc

2.3 Water demand management measures in the industrial sector

Besides water tariff measures which include water metering, many other water demand
measures exist in the industrial water use sector. The recycling and re-use of water are
important water demand management measures in the industrial sector. The aim is to recycle
water several times (up to sixty times in the USA) before new water is added or the water is
replaced.

2.4 Water demand management measures in the power generation sector

Using alternative renewable energy sources such as solar, wind or biomass energy will save
considerable quantities of water. Also, if electricity can be saved by retrofitting electrical devices
in homes, much water can be saved.

2.5 Water demand management measures in the environmental water use

sector
The eradication of alien and other unwanted water-thirsty vegetation in the environment
through the "Working for Water" programme. The prevention of soil erosion through contouring
and other landscaping methods, does not only retain water in the environment, but it also
prevents valuable topsoil being washed out to the sea and dams being silted up far more speedily.

Improving the network of measuring devices such as weirs and other flow metering instruments
is deemed necessary to save water. The improvement of these systems is therefore also regarded
as a water demand management measure.

Each demand management program includes the following elements. Such as:-

 Specific measures to be included (i.e., program contents),

 Definition of the target population of water users(i.e., program participants),
 Incentives for participation,
 Modes of information dissemination and contact with water users,
 Schedule for program implementation and its duration,
 Specification of agencies that are responsible for program implementation, and
 Program evaluation plan.

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However, demand management measures differ from supply-side options in several important
respects. First, the amount of water savings that can be attributed to individual measures is small
when compared to supply development alternatives. Second, many measures have a significant
cost of implementation and their effectiveness in producing water savings has to be checked
against the cost of supply augmentation. Third, most conservation measures require the
cooperation of water users who must adopt conservation technologies and efficient water-using
behaviors. Finally, water demand management can be implemented not only by water users and
suppliers at the local level but also by various agencies at different levels of government.

3. Measures for water demand management efficiency

Seriousness of water supply situation: Consumer attitude surveys conducted during and after
major drought episodes have shown that belief in the seriousness of water shortage in the
community is a necessary condition for persuading consumers to conserve.

Efficacy of efforts: Consumers are more likely to engage in conservation if they know how
much water they could save by doing so and if they are convinced of the importance of their
personal efforts in lessening the impacts of critical water supply situations.

Choice of equitable measures: Conservation campaigns are likely to be more effective if the
conservation measures (whether voluntary or mandatory) are perceived as equitable, i.e., that all
members of the community are required to make sincere efforts to conserve. Mandatory
measures, if enforced, often are seen as being more equitable than voluntary measures.

Social commitment: Water conservation campaigns are most effective if they seek to strengthen
group identity and to educate consumers regarding the undesirable impacts of self-interested
behavior on group welfare. Studies in social psychology demonstrate that educating and
informing consumers about the undesirable long-term consequences of self-serving choices is
effective in fostering strong group-oriented behavior and attitudes (Dziegielewski, 1992)

3.1 Water Management through Pricing: Some Evidence

Volumetric pricing is expected to be effective in conserving water and improving water use
efficiency. This is mainly due to the high costs associated with fixing water meters and
monitoring them. Even in the few cases where volumetric pricing is adopted, water is often
under priced with little impact on water demand. In other words, as long as volumetric pricing is
not equated with marginal cost pricing, pricing is not going to be an effective tool of demand
management. This is mainly due to two reasons: (i) that marginal cost based pricing is often
found to be politically unacceptable; and (ii) it may also impose undue burden on the marginal
sections of the farming community.

In additions to the water demand management, there are other demand managements like:-

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Electrical demand management measures:- In the electricity industry, the term ‘demand
management’ is used to refer to actions which change the electrical demand on the
system. The term has been used to refer to a wide range of activities, including:

 actions taken on the customer side of the electricity meter (the ‘demand side’),
such as energy efficiency measures and power factor correction;
 arrangements for reducing loads on request, such as interruptibility contracts and direct
load control;
 fuel switching, such as changing from electricity to gas for water heating; and
 distributed generation, such as stand by generators in office buildings or photovoltaic
modules on rooftops, etc.

Travel demand management measures:- The objectives of this demand management is to

develop systematic process of identifying the best, comprehensive set of TDM measures and
predicting the effect of those measures. Some of the TDM measures include:-

Traffic constraints, public transportation improvements, peak period dispersion, ride sharing,
parking controls, and land-use control techniques.

Any Demand Management requires agencies to clearly understand that their corporate role is not
to provide ever more services, but to provide:

 Effective service outcomes to meet identified community needs

 Assess if this need is changing and
 To respond appropriately and within the available resources.

Any type of demand can be managed in a variety of ways:

 By reducing the underlying need for the service. For example, actions to raise awareness
of the benefits of pregnant women taking folate will reduce the need for medical and
social support for children with neural tube defects
 By changing the way in which community needs will be met to reduce pressure on
available resources. For example, the department of housing is trialing different
accommodation alternatives to reduce the demand for individual accommodation units
 By educating consumers to limit their consumption. For example, educating water users
to save water during droughts has led to significant reduction in demand.
 By pricing mechanisms. For example, charging consumers a truer price for water
encourages more responsible use and may reduce the demand.
 By revising service delivery levels. For example, the threshold at which benefits become
available or the level at which benefits are provided will be changed.
 By imposing legal penalty. For example, fines can be imposed for use of fixed sprinklers
during the evening to reduce demand for additional reservoir pumping capacity.

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References
1. Dziegielewski, B. and D. Baumann. 1992. Benefits of Managing Urban Water Demands.
Environment 34(9): 6-11.
2. Dziegielewski, B. 1996. Feasibility of Water Efficiency Standards, Conference
Proceedings, Conserv96, American Water Works Association, January 4-8, 1996,
Orlando, Florida.
3. Taylor, C. J. Selection and Evaluation of Travel Demand Management Measures for
Syracuse, New York. M.S. thesis. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., May 1996
4. Management of the Water Resources of South Africa - official publication of the
Department of Water Affairs, Pretoria, South Africa, 1986.

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