PERFORMANCEEVALUATION OF WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM OF AREKA TOWN, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The town’s water supply infrastructure may be put under a lot of strain as the population grows. The persistent and repeated failures of the water network are one of the most pressing issues inthe water supply sector. This situation necessitates swift action. Water supply coverage, water quantity, velocity and system pressure are all issues in areka water supply system. The hydraulic performance of areka town’s existing water supply distribution system in terms of pressure and velocity was evaluated usingEPANET-2.0.Primary data were collected through interviews with key informants, field observations, and photographs of relevant sites. In 2022 G.C, the town’s average per capita water usage is 34.9/l/c/day, with 78.4% water supply coverage. The distribution system’s performance linked to pressure was 26.67 percent for pressure values(15m).59.04 percent for pressure values (15-60m),and 14.29 percent for pressure values (>60m) head, according to simulated results over a prolonged length of velocity of time at peak demand. At peak consumption, 42.5 percent of pipe flow velocity (0.6 m/s), 48.89 percent of velocity range (0.6-2 m/s), and 8.64 percent of velocity (>2 m/s) were found. In general, the result of the analysis shows that the overall hydraulic performance of the water distribution in the town was poor, which is reflected in the low water production rate, low water consumption and high proportion of non-revenue water, the speed and pressure are not within the allowable range. Finally, it is proposed that non-revenue water reduction, equitable resource allocation and resource conservation be prioritized through appropriate water demand management techniques. This preserves human well-being on a comprehensive level