Environmental Impacts Assessment of Water Demand Management Policies on Urban Water Systems Using Life Cycle Approach

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 M.Sc. School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

2 Professor, School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

3 Ph.D. Candidate, School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Although increasing the population and urbanization worldwide have led decision-makers to consider urban water management policies more often, any policies, in turn, can positively and negatively affect urban water systems. In recent years, in response to intensifying water crisis across Isfahan province, pressure management has been applied in order to reduce water access as a new water demand management strategy in most cities of this province. The present study investigated the environmental effects of such a policy in Baharestan city (Isfahan province) during the 2018-2036 period, using a life cycle approach and different percentages of available water shortages. By considering the conditions of the study area, the life cycle assessment was conducted to explore the environmental impacts of processes such as network failure and energy consumption at the pumping station through SimaPro software. The results revealed that a significant part of the environmental effects in the water supply and distribution network were related to network failures, which, in comparison with energy consumption, have many effects on most midpoint and endpoint environmental effects. Based on the result, the endpoint environmental effects caused by network failures are, on average, 2.2 times greater than pumping systems. The finding suggested that by applying pressure management, the endpoint environmental effects in both short-term and long-term scenarios were reduced by 14.7% and 20.2%, respectively. Hence, it can be deduced that the pressure management policy can be an effective policy instrument in minimizing the environmental impacts of the water distribution network and pumping system.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Amirkabir Journal of Civil Engineering
Volume 54, Issue 10
January 2023
Pages 3903-3922

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