TITLE:
The Need for Awareness of Drinking Water Loss Reduction for Sustainable Water Resource Management in Rwanda
AUTHORS:
Fidele Karamage, Chi Zhang, Felix Ndayisaba, Lamek Nahayo, Alphonse Kayiranga, James Kehinde Omifolaji, Hua Shao, Alice Umuhoza, Jean Baptiste Nsengiyumva, Tong Liu
KEYWORDS:
Non-Revenue Water, Water Loss Reduction, Sustainability, WASAC, Rwanda
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.4 No.10,
October
26,
2016
ABSTRACT: Drinking
water loss or Non-Revenue Water (NRW) threatens the financial viability of
water utilities and sustainable natural water resource management. However,
little attention has been paid to quantitative assessment of the spatial
distribution of water losses in Rwanda. Therefore, this study focused on the
magnitude of water losses, the associated environmental and socio-economic
consequences, as well as the potential benefits from water loss reduction in
Rwanda. Based on water usage records from the Water and Sanitation Corporation
(WASAC) of Rwanda, NRW was calculated for 15 WASAC branches and Provinces, from
July 2013 to June 2014, by using the International Water Association (IWA)
standard water balance approach. The results highlight an annual NRW of
16,502,198 or 41% of the total water produced, inducing a revenue loss of US$
8,713,156. In 14 of the 15 WASAC water branches and all Rwandan provinces, the
NRW ratios exceed the NRW threshold (10%) recommended by the American Water
Works Association (AWWA). Because of the lost revenue, the water facilities may
not expand quickly enough to meet the demands of the rapidly growing
population. The suggested 50% reduction in NRW would provide additional
8,251,100 m3 of treated water yearly, enough to serve extra 41,925
households or irrigate 661 ha of cropland and save US$ 4,356,579, which would
reduce the financial gap in Rwanda’s National Water Improvement Project by more
than 24%.