A sectorial Analysis of Municipal Water Consumption and Management in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is undergoing substantial economic, industrial, commercial, and population growth. This growth, in turn, leads to increased water demand in the region. In addition to population growth, industrialization and modernization have placed increasing pressure on KSA's water infrastructure. There is an urgent need to increase the water capacity to meet the projected demand and maintain the water systems' security and reliability. Therefore, it is imperative to find solutions that improve the efficiency of the Kingdom's water system. A key element in this effort is understanding and classifying how water is consumed with its micro-components within various segments.The thesis aims to collect precise knowledge about municipal water consumption patterns and trends to understand water consumption patterns and consumer behaviours better and develop preliminary estimates and assumptions. This will drive the municipal water demand model in KSA to be capable of dealing with different scenarios and constraints.The development of the municipal water demand model highlighted the need for reliable statistical and water billing data. These form the starting point of the forecast and need to be available at a high enough resolution. The model provides a framework for the required data to be built on further. The analysis results will also determine the drivers and categories used in the model.The model focuses on the non-Residential water demand. Still, separate forecasts are included for the residential category to enable the extrapolation of the results and downward analysis for a more accurate and cost-effective bottom-up approach to forecasting and an overall better understanding of the population's water consumption behaviours. RESUMEl Regne de l'Aràbia Saudita està experimentant un important creixement econòmic, industrial, comercial i demogràfic. Aquest creixement, al seu torn, provoca un augment de la demanda d'aigua a la regió. A més del creixement demogràfic, també la industrialització i la modernització han exercit una pressió cada vegada major sobre les infraestructures hídriques del país. Urgeix augmentar la disponibilitat d'aigua per a satisfer la demanda prevista i mantindre la seguretat i fiabilitat dels sistemes hídrics. Per tant, és imperatiu trobar solucions que milloren l'eficiència del sistema hídric del país. Un element clau en aquest esforç és comprendre i classificar com es consumeix l'aigua amb els seus microcomponents dins de diversos segments.La tesi recopila coneixements precisos sobre les pautes i tendències del consum municipal d'aigua per a comprendre millor els patrons de consum i els comportaments dels consumidors, així com desenvolupar estimacions i hipòtesis preliminars. D'aquesta manera, s'impulsarà el model de demanda d'aigua municipal al país perquè siga capaç de fer front a diferents escenaris i limitacions.El desenvolupament del model municipal de demanda d'aigua ha mostrat la necessitat de disposar de dades estadístiques i de facturació de l'aigua fiables. Aquests c...