WATER IRRIGATION PRACTICE AT KFUPM

Transcription

1 Environment & Sustainability Audit Report Report No. 1 WATER IRRIGATION PRACTICE AT KFUPM Reported By : Dr. Bassam S. Tawabini Yusri Syahrir H. Fahham Mohammed Date: 16/10/2014 Environment, Health and Safety Department, KFUPM

2 Introduction Efficient water use is very critical in order to build KFUPM as a green university. In general, water usage efficiency measures are intended to reduce water use in academic buildings, office buildings, residential, including reducing amount of water use to irrigate landscapes in our university. Water efficient utilization measures are ranging from assessment of current condition, identifies best practices to conserve water consumption, and recommends changes to ensure compliance with regulations and standards. Mostly water resources consumed in Saudi Arabia are produced from desalination process where the cost of producing water by this process is significantly higher than water supplied by ground surface. At the same time amount of water that we lose everyday due to ineffective irrigation system and water pipe leakage is staggering. Irrigation System for Landscaping Irrigation of trees, grass, and plants in KFUPM is heavily depends on irrigation system through pipe networks due to the low rate of precipitation in our region. At the same time excessive water use for irrigation purpose can be easily observed in many places within our campus. The Environment and Sustainability section at the EHS department has started an initiative to monitor the usage of water inside the campus and try to recommend measures to reduce the consumption of water. The EHS Dept. has noticed in a number of incidents that large quantities of water used for irrigation Page 1

3 has been unnecessarily wasted due to the un-proper practices of irrigation as shown in images 1 to 6. Excessive Water Usage for Irrigation: The observations below show the amount of water being wasted during the irrigation of landscapes around the campus. Image 1: Area in the playground near Bld-59 Image 2: Area in the playground near Bld-59 Page 2

4 In the playground area near Bld-59, it was observed that a lot of water was overflowing unnecessarily during irrigation, as seen from the images above. Image 3: Area near Building 24 (16 October, 2014) On 16 October 2014, it was observed that water was discharged at high rates via the sprinklers near Bld-24 (see Image 3). Such practice of using large amounts of water for irrigating a particular area is wastage which contradict the sustainability concept and conservation of water resources that university is trying to implement. Another incident occurred on Tuesday, 9 September, around 7:00 PM, water was observed running in the parking area of Building 1 (see Image 4). When enquired about the source of water, it was found that many water irrigation sprinklers were running un-attended for a long time. The concerned authorities must ensure that water resources are used efficiently for irrigation. A similar incident was observed next to a residential area next to Nakheel mosque where one occupant of keeps Page 3

5 watering the area outside his house with excessive amount of water and causing water to flood as shown in image (5) below. Image 4: Area near Bldg-1 Image 5: Area in the faculty housing Page 4

6 Moreover, it is observed that during watering the landscapes, the water taps are left unattended for a long time, which results in overflowing and wastage of water as shown in the cases depicted in images. Timing for Irrigation of Landscapes: The water sprinklers at various places in the campus are seen running during the noon time, as shown in Image 6. Image 6: Area near the KFUPM main gate The use of water sprinklers during noon is ineffective as the water would evaporate due to high temperatures. The water sprinklers should ideally be used during early morning or in the evening for the efficient utilization of water. Page 5

7 Recommendations: 1. The timing to watering landscapes using sprinklers should be reviewed back. The water sprinklers should ideally be used during early morning or in the evening for the efficient utilization of water. 2. The concerned authorities must ensure that water resources are used efficiently for irrigation. 3. In the case of massive water wastages there should be a clear mechanism of reporting the incidents along with a responsive authority that will tackle the problems. 4. The used of black water (recycled water) instead of fresh water should be considered in irrigating the landscapes. 5. KFUPM should impose policies to reduce water consumption and encourage water conservation within the campus. 6. Raising awareness among students, staff, faculty members, and all KFUPM community to wisely use our limited and valuable water resources and conserve them. Page 6