Extracting Sustainable Urban Water Policies with Dynamic System Approach (Case Study: Qom City)

Qom city (located in the central desert of Iran) has always faced the problem of water shortage. In recent years, due to various reasons such as urbanization, increased immigration and tourism prosperity, this problem has become a more serious trending water crisis. In spite of the steps taken to maintain the sustainability of potable water, predictions indicated that if the existing situation persists, in 2022 the city will be in a state of unstable water. To overcome this dilemma, this paper aims to identify and present sustainable urban Potable water policies on a thirty-year horizon through system dynamics and the use of Vensim software. These policies are generally presented in two parts: Supply and Demand. The supply policies include separation of potable water from non potable water, using fresh water or wastewater, and managing the water supply losses. In demand management, the policies are to control the population, control the pattern of domestic demand, and control the Exempt Demand. The new policy investigated and proposed by this research which is proportional to the problem was the separation of potable water from non potable water and control the exempt demands over time and their impact on the sustainability of urban potable water.