Sustainable Planning and Management of the complex water and wastewater system of the megacity of Lima-based on Macro-modelling and Simulation

Abstract

Sustainable Planning and Management of complex urban water systems in an integrated form in many cases requires the consideration and analysis of various subsystems of the water systems (e.g. the interactions between the water sources with the drinking water distribution systems and the wastewater collection systems) that interact, very often, not only with each other strongly, but also with external drivers (e.g. climatic conditions). This is particularly true in the context of urban agglomerations with a population more than ten million inhabitants (megacities) in terms of expected changes due to population growth, scarcity of water resources in time and space, increasing water demand in different sectors and the impact of climate change. In order to provide tools and methodologies that can contribute to overcome (or to tackle) these challenges, a new macro-modelling simulator based on the principles of the modelling of material flows (e.g. water, wastewater and load) and energy has been developed. Its application to the urban water system (all in a single model) of the desert megacity of Lima - a system with particularly adverse hydrologic boundary conditions - allows not only the determination of the state of the system under different conditions, but also the identification and analysis of potential alternatives and measures (e.g. construction of new infrastructure, etc.) for a better management of the system on a local and global level.