Economic analysis of rehabilitation approaches for water distribution networks: comparative study between Egypt and Malaysia

Abdelrahman, M. Farouk and Rahimi, A. Rahman and Noor Suraya, Romali (2021) Economic analysis of rehabilitation approaches for water distribution networks: comparative study between Egypt and Malaysia. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, 19 (5). pp. 1-20. ISSN 1726-0531. (Published)

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Abstract

Purpose – Sustainable water management has been a trending goal in the past decade. Non-revenue water (NRW) is one form of water loss that should be addressed to reach water sustainability. While rehabilitating water distribution networks (WDNs) is one way to decrease NRW, the process is often delayed owing to cost. Therefore, it is essential to provide decision-makers with cost-effective approaches to optimize WDN rehabilitation. This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of approaches for rehabilitating WDN from developing countries’ perspectives. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic literature review was first conducted to identify different WDN rehabilitation methods and techniques to develop the questionnaire survey. This is followed by collecting questionnaire survey data in Malaysia and Egypt on the cost and effectiveness of the WDN rehabilitation methods and techniques. A total of 176 respondents were collected, 109 from Malaysia and 67 from Egypt. Then, the data were analyzed using mean score ranking with ormalization technique and agreement analysis. Findings – The results from the data analysis show that the cost-effective approaches are “programming,” “simulation,” “digital twin” and “supervisory control and data acquisition.” Additionally, the data from Malaysia suggest two additional cost-effective approaches:“zoning network” and “genetic algorithm.” Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper presents one of the first studies that laterally compares the cost-effectiveness of existing and potential WDN rehabilitation approaches between different countries. There is yet a study that compared these WDN rehabilitation approaches. This comparison which is developed depending on the systematic review could be a reference for future studies or surveys which could be done on different countries in the future. The main findings of this paper can be a useful reference for decision-makers, especially those from middle-income countries, when looking into approaches for WDN rehabilitation. A better WDN rehabilitation supports NRW reduction, moving towards sustainable water management.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Developing countries, Sustainable development, Water sustainability, Water distribution network, Non-revenue water, Rehabilitation of WDN
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
T Technology > T Technology (General)
T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering
Faculty/Division: Institute of Postgraduate Studies
Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology
Depositing User: Miss. Ratna Wilis Haryati Mustapa
Date Deposited: 15 Sep 2021 13:19
Last Modified: 15 Sep 2021 13:20
URI: http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/32050
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