1.

00 LEARNING PURPOSE AND OUTCOME

 The purpose of this chapter is to give you a brief

introduction to Water supply.

 When you complete this chapter, you should be able to:

• Describe basic terms used in water supply.
• Explain the occurrence and distribution of global water with
respect to WS.
• Describe various sources of water supply.
• Explain the objectives of water supply.
• Explain importance of water supply.
• Appreciate the factor affecting WS.
1.01 DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS

 Water supply refers to the provision of water

by public utilities, commercial organizations,
community endeavors or by individuals.

 Water demand refers to the total quantity of

water required for a specific purpose.

 Irrigation is the application of controlled

amounts of water to plants at needed intervals.
Cont

 Waterworks refers to a complete system of

reservoirs, pipelines, conduits, etc., by
which water is collected, purified, stored,
and pumped to users.

 Raw water refers to water that has not been

purified or treated.
Cont

 Potable water refers to the water that is fit

for drinking safe and agreeable.

 Wholesome water is defined as the water

which containing the minerals in small
quantities at requisite levels and free from
harmful impurities.
Cont

 Palatable water refers water that is

pleasant to drink because its taste is good
but it may not be safe to drink.
1.02 QUESTIONS TO GUIDE YOUR READING

1. What is meant by water supply?

2. Define the following terms as used in water

supply;
i. Raw water
ii. Potable water
iii. Wholesome water
iv. Palatable water
Cont

3. What are the common sources of water

supply?

4. Distinguish between:
i. Raw water and wholesome water
ii. Potable and palatable water
Cont

5. Write at least five (5) objectives of water

supply.

6. List down at least five (5) importance of

water supply to the community.

7. Explain the need for protected water

supply.
Cont

8. In brief explain how water supply to

community maybe affected?
1.03 BASIC CONCEPT

 Among of the important and essential

requirement for the life of the living things
such as man, plants, animals etc. is water.

 The use of water by man, plants and animals

is universal, thus maintains an ecological
balance under domestic, agriculture and
industrial usage.
Cont

 Due to it’s essential the organized

community life require services of water
supply, where as irrigation is considered
separately.

 The provision of water by public utilities,

commercial organizations, community
endeavors or by individuals, is usually
through a waterworks.
Cont

 Undertakings of waterworks in a water

supply scheme are complex, requires a high
degree of skills and judgments.

 It employs a science of developing the

sources of supply, transmission, distribution,
and treatment of water known as water
supply engineering.
Cont

 The work of construction and maintenance

of water supply systems is generally
undertaken by Government agencies and
Authorities.
1.04 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF WS

 Man’s search for water began is prehistoric

times.

 The story of water supply begins with the

growth of ancient capital cities, or religious
and trade centers.
Cont

 In olden days, most of community

settlements throughout the World were
made near springs, lakes and rivers from
where the water supply for various
purposes was obtained.

 The importance of water from only a

quantity viewpoint was recognized from the
earliest days and later on it’s quality.
1.05 GLOBAL OCCURRENCE OF WATER

 Water occurs as solid, liquid, and gas.

 Some properties of water include:

itsability to store heat
Transport nutrients
H2O is a molecule- 2 atoms of Hydrogen
and 1 of Oxygen
Cont

 Transport of water and the energy

exchanged as it is converted from one state
to another are important drivers of our
weather and climate system as result of
water cycle.
1.06 DISTRIBUTION OF GLOBAL WATER

 The distribution, quality, quantity and mode

of occurrence are highly variable from one
locality to another.

 Water is the most widely occurring substance

in the world.

 Over 72% of the earth's surface is covered by

water.
Cont

 This means that if the body of water were

evenly distributed, it would cover the globe to
an average depth of over 4 kilometers.

97.2% is in the ocean:

Unfit for human consumption (too salty to
be used for drinking and irrigation without
desalination.
Cont

 2% of the remaining water lies frozen in

glaciers and in icecaps and is mostly
unreachable.

 Usable portion is about 0.8% of the total.

1.07 SOURCES OF WATER SUPPLY

 Water Source is potential raw water for use

in the supply of water.

 The source of water commonly determines

the nature of the waterworks.

 Common sources of water supply and their

development/facilities are as:
Cont

I. Rainwater:
For small individual supplies:
• From roofs (RWH).
• Stored in cisterns.
• Low degree of treatment.

For large communal supplies:

• From larger prepared watersheds or catches.
• Stored in reservoirs.
Cont

II. Surface water:

From streams or rivers, natural ponds, and
lakes of sufficient size.

From brackish and seawater.

Require treatment before use.

Cont

III. Sub – surface water:

Sometimes known as Ground water
From natural springs
From wells
From infiltration galleries, basins, or cribs
1.08 OBJECTIVE OF WATER SUPPLY

 The objectives of the community water

supply can be categorized in terms of:
A. Quantity

B. Quality
Cont

A. Quantity:
i. To supply adequate quantity(water
demand) to meet at least the
minimum needs of the individuals.

ii. To make adequate provisions for

emergencies like fire fighting,
festivals, meeting etc.
Cont

iii. To make provision for future

demands due to increase in
population, increase in standard of
living, storage and conveyance.

iv. To design and maintain the system

that is economical and reliable.
Cont

B. Quality:
i. To provide wholesome and potable
water to the consumers for drinking
purpose.

ii. To prevent pollution of water at

source, storage and conveyance.
Cont

iii. To maintain the treatment units and

distribution system in good
condition with adequate staff and
materials.
1.09 PROTECTED WATER SUPPLY

 This means the supply of water that is

treated to remove the impurities and made
safe to public health.

 Water may be polluted by physical and

bacterial agents.

 Water Is also good carrier of germs causing

disease.
Cont

 Using palatable water, one maybe

infected by a water related disease that
may lead to serious illness resulting:
i. Loss of life and high infant mortality
rates.

ii. Poverty
1.10 FACTORS AFFECTING WATER SUPPLY

 Access to a fresh water supply is

affected by the following factors:
i. Climate
 Low levels of rainfall and high
temperatures lead to water deficits.
Cont

ii. Geology
 Some rocks are permeable and allow
water to flow through them.

 Permeable rocks can lead to less

surface water, e.g. limestone.
Cont

iii. Pollution
 Some places have plenty of water, but
pollution has made it unsafe to use.

iv. Over-abstraction
 If the amount of water taken is greater
than the amount of water falling as
rain, it is called over-abstraction.
Cont

v. Poverty

 Although Water supply is linked with

factors such as:
• Economy
• Population growth
• Educational status
Cont

• Customs

• Traditions

• Governmental concern
Assignment 1

1. List down at least five (5) importance of

water supply to the community.
 END

THANK YOU
What’s next

Chapter 2
WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS