Water resources in tourist islands have been severely threatened,
especially in the Galapagos Islands, where the increased local
population has generated attractive income from the tourist
services. In addition, the data regarding water supply and demand
are scarce. This study investigates water supply and demand in
Santa Cruz, the most populated island of Galapagos. The research
encompasses a thorough assessment of the water supply crisis, as
well as the quantification of water demand from different
categories (domestic, tourist, restaurants and laundries) through
surveys, in the absence of water metering. Also, specific water
demand was assessed by installing 18 water meters. The results
yield a wide range of water consumption, questioning the current
assumption of water scarcity. Furthermore, a prognosis of water
supply and demand was carried out, and also several intervention
strategies were proposed such as rainwater harvesting, greywater
recycling, leakage reduction, water meter installation, water
demand reduction, as well as seawater desalination to cope with the
future population growth. Due to the fragility of the ecosystem,
these strategies were assessed through a Multi-Criteria Decision
Analysis, considering environmental, technical, economic and social
aspects, as well as relevant stakeholders' perspectives. finally,
the water supply network of Puerto Ayora was evaluated in order to
understand the need of the current intermittent supply regime. A
methodology was developed to estimate the overflow of the domestic
roof tanks (a common incidence amongst local population). The
results question the practicality of individual household storage.
The final results show that the current situation in terms of the
lack of water quantity may not be real, as it has been thought for
the last decades. The water issues refer more importantly to the
water quality, as well as to the lack of proper water management
practices.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
