Assessment of the hydraulic performance of water supply distribution system in Gidole Town, Ethiopia

Abstract

The majority of water utilities, particularly public service providers such as Gidole town, are struggling to deliver a sufficient and consistent supply of water in Ethiopia's developing towns. The primary objective of this study was to assess the hydraulic performance of water supply distribution system in Gidole Town, Ethiopia, a representative case of the challenges facing public water utilities in developing towns. The WaterGEMS v8i hydraulic model was utilized to simulate and evaluate the distribution network's performance. The system was configured as a looped network and analyzed against standard permitted pressure and velocity values in the distribution system. The model was effectively calibrated (coefficient of determination (R²) = 0.969) using measured and observed pressure data. The model simulation run was conducted at peak and low hourly demand with 1.9 and 0.25 hourly factors, respectively. The estimated water demand of the town is 1284.3 m³/day (48.4 liters per capita per day), and it would be increased to 3099.77 m³/day (66.03 l/c/d) by the 2037 design period. The system experiences significant non-revenue water losses (75,434.11 m³/year), accounting for 29.9% of total water production; as a result, the present water supply coverage of the town is only 33.6%. Hydraulic simulations under peak and low demand scenarios revealed nodes with pressures outside the normal range, indicating system-wide inefficiencies. These findings highlight a combined issue of large physical losses and insufficient capacity of the water supply in the town, which is typical of many municipal systems in developing regions. The study concludes that strategic infrastructure rehabilitation, with an emphasis on pressure management and leak reduction, is not only a town necessity but a fundamental requirement for improving water security and financial sustainability for utilities in Ethiopia and similar contexts. The findings and methodology have been forwarded to town's water supply project and institutional development departments for immediate future implementation and provide a replicable framework for evidence-based investment and planning in other struggling municipalities in similar situations.

Keywords

Gidole Town / hydraulic performance / pressure Junction / water distribution network system / water losses / WaterGEMSv8i

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2025 The Author(s). River published by Wiley-VCH GmbH on behalf of China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR).