A methodology for prioritizing water mains rehabilitation in Egypt

AbstractWater distribution systems are aging and deteriorating over time. Deterioration of water mains causes reduction in the structural capacity and the hydraulic capacity of the water distribution systems. Municipalities face the greatest challenges to define the deterioration processes and the factors that can affect the rate of deterioration. To face these challenges municipalities need to define methodologies and technologies for water distribution systems planning, design, construction, management, assessment and rehabilitation, that consider local economic, environmental and social factors. Therefore, it is important to implement mitigation measures in a timely manner to extend the useful service life of water distribution systems. This paper presents a model that prioritizes the rehabilitation of water mains as well as assists in rehabilitation technology selection. A series of interviews and questionnaire surveys are conducted to identify the most important factors that affect water mains deterioration and selection of the rehabilitation technology. The weighted factors scoring model is carried out using the Simos’ procedure to develop the priority index model and the alternative evaluation model. The priority index model is integrated with the Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to visualize the condition severity of the water pipes to help the decision maker to decide the course of action. A case study of water mains sample of a set of the collected data for this research has been used to implement the proposed model