Exploring the effects of alternative water demand management strategies using an agent-based model

Abstract

Integrated urban water management calls for tools that can analyze and simulate the complete cycle including the physical, technical, and social dimensions. Scientific advances created simulation tools able to simulate the urban water cycle as realistically as possible. However, even these tools cannot effectively simulate the social component and quantify how behaviors are shaped by external stress factors, such as climate and policies. In this work, an agent-based modeling tool, urban water agents' behavior (UWAB) is used to simulate the water demand behavior of households and how it is influenced by water demand management strategies and drought conditions. UWAB was applied in Athens, Greece to explore the effect of different water demand management strategies to the reliability of the Athens hydrosystem. The results illustrate the usability of UWAB to support decision makers in identifying how "strict" water demand management measures are needed and when and for how long to deploy them in order to alleviate potential water supply issues.