ABSTRACT

Conventional water management strategies, where water is extracted, used and then disposed of are no longer enough to address water shortage in cities. Climate change, population growth and economic development are putting available water resources under pressure. A system dynamics model of the City of Cape Town’s water system serves as a case study to evaluate policy interventions, aimed at extracting value from retainable and recyclable water sources to address the growing water shortage experienced in cities. Retention of rainwater, the reuse of greywater and the treatment of wastewater for reuse, are identified as potential water sources. The results provide insight into the behavioural response of the water system, by evaluating the water supply stress and cost of policy interventions related to these alternative sources. It is concluded that only a combination of conservation management and water retention and recycling will reduce water stress over the long term.

摘要

提取、使用和处理水的传统水资源管理策略已不足以解决城市缺水问题。气候变化、人口增长和经济发展使可用水资源面临压力。开普敦市水系统的系统动力学模型作为评估政策干预的案例研究，旨在从可保留和可回收的水源中提取价值，以解决城市日益严重的水资源短缺问题。雨水的保留、中水的再利用和废水的处理再利用，被确定为潜在的水源。通过评估与这些替代来源相关的供水压力和政策干预成本，结果提供了对水系统行为反应的洞察。