Estimating a municipal water supply reliability

Abstract

The availability and adequacy of water in a river basin determine the design of water resources projects such as water supply. There is a further need to regularly appraise availability of such resource for municipality at a distant future to help in articulating contingent plan to handle its vulnerability. This paper attempts to empirically determine the reliability of water resource for a municipal water supply. An approach was first developed to estimate municipality water demand that lack socioeconometric data using a purpose-specific model. Hydrological assessment of river Oyun basin was carried out using Markov model and sequent peak analysis to determine the reliability extent for the future demand need. The two models were then applied to Offa municipality in Kwara state, Nigeria. The finding revealed the reliability and adequacy of the resource up till year 2020. The need to start exploring a well-coordinated conjunctive use of resources is recommended. The study can serve as an organized baseline for future work that will consider physiographic characteristics of the basin and climatic dynamics. The findings can be a vital input into the demand management process for long-term sustainable water supply of the town and by extension to urban township with similar characteristic.