Midterm evaluation of water demand in residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors, a case study in Gonabad

Iran included in the list of vulnerable countries in the field of water resources. This concerns highlights the essential need for planning and managing water resources in Iran. Domestic water requires serious attention due to the cost of water supply and its significant role in promoting public health. The present work aimed to investigate the water consumption in Gonabad for different municipal sectors.

Having a population of 50899, Gonabad is located in Khorasan Razavi province. Water consumption data from residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors were collected for 3 consecutive years from 2018 to 2020. Per capita, water consumption, and water demand changes for different sectors over time then analyzed using demographic information. Water consumption during 2020 was considered as water demand during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The average per capita water consumption in Gonabad in 2018, 2019, and 2020 were 125, 146, and 161L, respectively, indicated an average annual increase of about 11 percent. Of total water consumption, 86.9% corresponded to residential, 3.4% to commercial, 8.6% to institutional, and 7. 9% to industrial sectors. The present study also showed that in a three-year basis, the mean water consumption in residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial sectors increased by 22.9, 4.5, 0.8, and 27.6 percent, respectively. Water consumption during 2021 experiences an incremental trend that could be attributed to the crisis caused by Covid-19 in Iran.

The present study showed that the water demand for Gonabad has increased about 11% during the study period and the residential sector with the highest growth rate accounts for the highest water consumption demand. Moreover, industrial growth in the study period contribute to a significant increase in water demand. The present study also highlighted the essential considerations that must take for water supply in unusual situations like COVID-19 that increased water demand.