Analysis of the effects of COVID-19 restriction policies on drinking water consumption by smart water network data filtering

People's habits changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent containment policies, with numerous implications in all fields. In particular, restrictions had important consequences for drinking water consumption. The present work analyses this influence in the Soccavo district of Naples (Campania), in Italy, during the two periods of strongest restrictions in 2020: the national Lockdown (March 11–May 3) and the autumn Red Zone (November 16–December 6). A large amount of data, referred to single-household flowmeters connected to a Smart Water Grid acquisition system, was collected for the years 2019 (considered the average reference year) and 2020. The first step was the preliminary filtering of the data, by identification and elimination of anomalies and outliers, as well as anomalous annual patterns, through clustering and classification. The second step consisted of the comparison of the same meters in two consecutive years considering the daily and weekly average hourly patterns, the average daily patterns of midweek days, Saturdays, and Sundays, respectively, and the total daily volumes. The results are consistent with those in the literature. Some general trends in literature data were sought and pointed out in the present paper. HIGHLIGHTS The work focuses on the consequences of COVID-19 containment policies on drinking water consumption.; Analysis of Soccavo district (Naples, Italy) data showed how restrictions affected patterns and increased volume consumption.; Literature data comparison revealed that the peak coefficient increased more for big cities and volume consumption more for small cities.; Results provide counsels to manage future critical situations.