Economic and technical analysis of leakage reduction in Birjand urban water distribution network

Gholampoor, Navid; Mohammadi, Pooya; Modaresi, Fereshteh; Ansari, Hossein

doi:10.22112/jwwse.2025.508184.1446

Economic and technical analysis of leakage reduction in Birjand urban water distribution network

Articles in Press

Authors

Navid Gholampoor

Pooya Mohammadi

Fereshteh Modaresi

Hossein Ansari

Department of Water Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

10.22112/jwwse.2025.508184.1446

Abstract

Water leakage in distribution networks is one of the main challenges in urban water resource management, which leads to financial loss, water waste, and reduced system efficiency. This study aims to analyze the economic and technical leakage in the water distribution network of Zone D of Birjand city and provide practical solutions for leakage management. In this study, hydraulic modeling with WaterGEMS software was used to simulate the network and analyze hydraulic parameters; flow rate, pressure, and geographical map data were collected and the network model was calibrated. The assessment shows an ILI index of 12, which reflects the serious leakage situation in the existing network, and for this reason, five different pressure management scenarios were examined to reduce leakage. The results showed that excessive pressure was the main cause of leakage in Zone D, and targeted pressure reduction in the S4 scenario resulted in a reduction of 14.90 liters per second of leakage, equivalent to a daily volume reduction of 1287.360 cubic meters and economic savings of 1.241 billion rials per year.The findings indicate that investing in smart pressure management and renovation of worn-out infrastructure, in addition to improving economic efficiency, also reduces environmental damage caused by water waste.

Keywords

Water Waste

Modeling

Pressure Management

WaterGEMS

ILI