Evaluación de la red de distribución de agua potable en la ciudadela “Banco de la Vivienda”

Abstract

The distribution of drinking water is a vital activity for the sustenance and development of communities, so it is essential to evaluate these systems since there are factors that can cause problems in their operation. In the “Banco de la Vivienda” neighborhood, there is irregular drinking water service since the supply frequently arrives with extremely low or excessively high pressures, and even with water outages for long periods of time, preventing users from carry out their activities normally. In this project, the distribution network was evaluated based on surveys conducted among the neighborhood’s inhabitants, obtaining information about the problems and the dissatisfaction it generates. Data was recorded using pressure gauges in the houses of the urbanization, capturing its distribution in pressure maps made in ArcGIS, focusing on the hours when pressures exceed the recommended limits. Subsequently, a hydraulic model of the network was created, using EPANET, to obtain theoretical pressures and compare them with the registered pressures, taking the National Water Secretariat (SENAGUA by its Spanish acronym) regulations as a reference. It was determined that the distribution network presents inconsistencies and possible damage since, in specific nodes, there are pressures of 0 mWC and others that reach 73 mWC, exceeding the maximum and minimum pressure threshold and failing to comply with design regulations. Solutions and recommendations were also suggested that can be applied to optimize the operation of the network and provide a better service to the community.