A water sustainability index for West Java - Part 2: refining the conceptual framework using Delphi technique

In the first paper of this two-part series on the development of a water sustainability index for West Java, a conceptual framework of West Java Water Sustainability Index (WJWSI) was developed. It consists of three main parts: components, indicators/sub-indicators and threshold values. This second paper of the series presents the application of the Delphi technique, followed by in-depth interviews with selected key experts, to refine the conceptual WJWSI framework. The Delphi application includes the design of the questionnaires, the selection of respondents, the distribution and collection of the completed questionnaires and the analysis of data. After Round One of the Delphi application, the respondents reached consensus for all proposed components in the conceptual framework. However, some modifications to the components were also suggested by few respondents. Regarding the indicators/sub-indicators, consensus for 9 of the proposed 12 indicators was reached, and 5 new indicators were suggested. For the threshold values, consensus was reached for threshold values of 5 indicators. In Round Two of the Delphi application, respondents were asked questions related to results from Round One, which include the modification on the components, indicators/sub-indicators which have not been agreed, and newly suggested indicators/sub-indicators and threshold values. Results of Round Two show that modifications on the components were agreed, and consensus was reached for 8 out of the proposed 9 indicators/sub-indicators. In terms of its components and indicators, the framework was then finalised in the in-depth interview with four key experts, selected from different respondent categories. For the threshold values not yet finalised, further study will be carried out, as there was not much input from the respondents in the Delphi application and the in-depth interview

A water sustainability index for West Java - Part 1: developing the conceptual framework

Sustainable water resources management is essential since it ensures the integration of social, economical and environmental issues into all stages of water resources management. The development and application of water sustainability indices to achieve sustainable water management has been successfully done in the last few years. Although existing water sustainability indices have successfully provided information on current conditions of water resources and prioritised water related issues, they have been developed for specific case study areas. This study therefore aims at developing a water sustainability index for West Java, Indonesia. The overall steps for developing the index include developing a conceptual framework, application of Delphi technique to finalise the components/indicators of the index, applying the index to case studies and robustness analysis of the index. This paper, which is the first in a two-part series, discusses the first step, namely developing the conceptual framework of the West Java Water Sustainability Index (WJWSI). It outlines the criteria for identifying the initial set of components/indicators and based on those criteria, a detailed justification for selecting each component and indicator is also presented. The second paper of the series presents the application of Delphi technique to finalise the framework of WJWSI based on feedback from selected stakeholders. The remaining steps of developing WJWSI will be undertaken in the future

WATER SUPPLY PLANNING AND SIMULATION SOFTWARE PACKAGE-REALM

REALM (REsource ALlocation Model) is a generalised computer simulation package thatmodels harvesting and bulk distribution of water resources within a water supply system. Awide range of operating rules can be modelled either directly or indirectly by exploiting theattributes of node and carrier types that are used to configure the system. It uses a fastnetwork linear programming algorithm to optimise the water allocation within the networkduring each simulation time step, in accordance with user-defined operating rules.REALM has strong water allocation capabi Iities but with limited water quality features.Nevertheless, these water quality-modelling capabilities are sufficient to model the waterquality issues experienced in most urban water supply and irrigation systems. REALM hasbeen developed and enhanced in response to user requirements and feedback from theusers, and therefore has developed into a comprehensive tool for water supply planning andmanagement. It has been used to model the planning and management of sustainable watersystems, and environmental now requirements. This paper describes the main features ofREALM so that the potential users will have an appreciation of its capabilities. It alsodescribes a case study dealing with main features

Markov and Neural Network Models for Prediction of Structural Deterioration of Stormwater Pipe Assets

Storm-water pipe networks in Australia are designed to convey water from rainfall and surface runoff. They do not transport sewerage. Their structural deterioration is progressive with aging and will eventually cause pipe collapse with consequences of service interruption. Predicting structural condition of pipes provides vital information for asset management to prevent unexpected failures and to extend service life. This study focused on predicting the structural condition of storm-water pipes with two objectives. The first objective is the prediction of structural condition changes of the whole network of storm-water pipes by a Markov model at different times during their service life. This information can be used for planning annual budget and estimating the useful life of pipe assets. The second objective is the prediction of structural condition of any particular pipe by a neural network model. This knowledge is valuable in identifying pipes that are in poor condition for repair actions. A case study with closed circuit television inspection snapshot data was used to demonstrate the applicability of these two models

Apparent finite-size effects in the dynamics of supercooled liquids

Molecular dynamics simulations are performed for a supercooled simple liquid with changing the system size from N=108 to $10^4$ to examine possible finite-size effects. Although almost no systematic deviation is detected in the static pair correlation functions, it is demonstrated that the structural $\alpha$ relaxation in a small system becomes considerably slower than that in larger systems for temperatures below $T_c$ at which the size of the cooperative particle motions becomes comparable to the unit cell length of the small system. The discrepancy increases with decreasing temperature.Comment: 4 pages 5 figure