Development of a Sustainable Technology in Reducing Reservoir Evaporation

Abstract

The high volume of water loss due to climate change raises the storage requirement of reservoirs. This study aims to develop a sustainable and economical physical evaporation reduction device for large reservoirs in tropical climates. Two materials (i.e., non-woven geotextiles and polypropylene sheet) were used as covers to limit the evaporation rates. Both materials with a 60% water surface coverage were respectively located in a Class A evaporation pan. A control pan without a cover was prepared to measure the evaporation of the surroundings. The evaporation rates of the three pans were measured daily for a total of 45 days. The results show that the covers adopted have successfully hindered the rise of water temperature, thereby limiting the evaporation rates. The observed average evaporation reduction percentage (relative to the evaporation rate of the control pan) was 40% for geotextile and 60% for polypropylene sheets.