| dc.description.abstract | The rapid population growth, increase in unaccounted for water along with climate change serve
as a major problem in both rural and urban water supply. For arid regions, this problem may be
aggravated by inadequate management plans and lack of proper data collection related to the
geographical location of water distribution networks. A possible solution is the utilization of a
geographic information system (GIS) as a tool in decision-making process in the field of water
distribution management. Coupling external hydraulic models with GIS can further enhance this
management tool. The current study proposes these tools in assessing the performance of a
drinking water distribution network. A methodology was developed by coupling GIS to a hydraulic
model which was used to model the existing water distribution network in Ghazaouet town in the
Tlemcen province, Algeria. The results obtained verified that the pressures at most junctions and
majority pipes are enough to provide water to water consumers of the study area. Simulated water
pressure varied significantly indicating that some sections of the network needed augmentation
and may lose their hydraulic capacities. The velocity range of the water distribution network was
generally between 0.1 m/s – 0.5 m/s, however parts of the network gave high velocities and very
high unit head losses which exceeded 3 m/km. The approach adopted in this work showed how
use of GIS effectively manage a water distribution network data and use of hydraulic models to
analyze for malfunctions in the system. Consequently, water engineers and managers can better
plan and budget for maintenance and predict future operating scenario. | en_US |
