Sistema de suporte à gestão da demanda da água domiciliar: análise de um estudo piloto em área de baixa renda em Salvador, Bahia

Abstract

This thesis examines a demand management framework pilot study in low-income households in Salvador, Bahia. This pilot study was carried out as part of a research project at the Federal University of Bahia - UFBA, which aimed at the demand management subsidiary, both at the user and decision-maker levels. Considering this pilot study, the current work analyzed the methodology used and looked for aspects that could be improved when applying this methodology on a larger scale or in future studies, with a focus on the subjectivity involved primarily in the measures of rational use. To begin, evaluation of the end-uses categorization system used was carried out, and it was observed whether eventual errors in the pre-processing system used could be overcome by the application of mathematical models. This verification is necessary because the monitoring system did not enforce it by equipment, but rather at a single water point in each household. Second, consumption conceptual models were used to support suggestions for improving an interview script used in the UFBA survey to collect information about household water use habits. Furthermore, rational use measures were proposed based on a detailed analysis of consumption in the studied households, but no study on how household chores evolved over time in relation to water use was conducted. Finally, a discussion was held about the possibility of adopting a single water consumption standard. As a result, it was observed that the great variability of consumption data interfered with the credibility of the results found with the software used in the pre-processing stage to categorize the final uses of water (Trace Wizard®), even after using these pre-processed data to develop models that could mitigate these differences, when data classified by the other monitoring method (flow sensor) was applied to the models, which would be data closer to real consumption, in some houses the measurements of precision and sensitivity were small, showing that the answers obtained may not correspond faithfully to reality. It was discovered that pre-processing increased the volume, duration, and throughput of uses, giving the impression that consumption was higher than it was. In terms of water conservation, it was discovered that practices such as circulating shoes indoors (which increases the need for cleaning) and failing to incorporate adequate ergonomics into daily practices (for example, not being able to easily handle the shower valve) generate waste. It was also discovered that the general evolution of water consumption practices did not favor rational use. Finally, it was discovered that the search for a single standard of residential water consumption, despite being the object of study of some works, is not relevant due to the wide variation observed in this consumption, even in areas with similar characteristics.