“Water Demand Management: A Study on Prospects and Challenges of Water Supply at Domestic Level in the Northern Municipality of Bahrain”

“Water Demand Management: A Study on Prospects and Challenges of Water Supply at Domestic Level in the Northern  Municipality of Bahrain”

Thesis Proposal Template

Student Name
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Topic Title for the Master Thesis  “Water Demand Management: A Study on Prospects and Challenges of Water Supply at Domestic Level in the Northern  Municipality of Bahrain”

Key Words Bahrain, Water resources, Water demand management, Water supply, Water cost, Challenges, Prospects, Policies.

 

Signs & Symptoms of the Problem The Kingdom of Bahrain is an archipelago of several low-lying islands. The total area of Bahrain is 710.9Km. Manama is the capital of that island. In Bahrain, the deterioration of water quality and quantity are very severe. Water stress is an immense threat to all ongoing socio-economical development sectors in Bahrain (Al-Khaddar Rafid & Najat, 2017). In fact, spring waters and groundwater are fast being depleted. Moreover, to meet the need of the growing population's water demand at the domestic level, wells are not enough and the cost of conveying water is increasing (Rehan, 2019). In respect of these issues, the Kingdom of Bahrain has launched the Economic Vision Bahrain 2030 as well as Government Action Plan, which they urge to protect and preserve these valuable resources through promoting efficient usage of water and energy resources (VNR, 2018). The water sector is a dynamic and strategic sector, where the increase in population growth rates have reduced the freshwater per person availability, hampering efforts to promote economic growth and facilitate priorities toward sustainable development (Nations, 2009). Despite the rapid increase in water demand, Bahrain has done well in providing water by resorting desalination of seawater. Bahrain has achieved the current sustainable development goal, at which it has reached 100% coverage in drinking water service. Nevertheless, such achievement has been associated with heavy costs and burdens due to the reliance on expanding and augmenting supplies without adequate attention to demand management, efficiency, and conservation. Thus, it is essential to investigate the water sector’s challenges and prospects in Bahrain, whether, to what extent the government of Bahrain has developed and improved sustainable measures through effective Water supply in domestic level or still not!

Problem Definition Bahrain has been listed among the top ten countries that suffering from rising water prices as well as a shortage of fresh and clean water at the domestic level. The water sector continues to face immense and somehow "chronic" challenges due to physical or socioeconomic factors. Physical scarcity of water refers to the limited access to water that can arise from climate conditions (water shortage) or unsustainable management (over-abstraction). There is a gap in the literature in regards to the insufficient and freshwater supply in the domestic level which needs to be tackled effectively. Moreover, as the water sector costs are likely to continue to escalate over time due to the current water supply policies and management strategies.  Therefore, the research will assess the current water supply management at the domestic level in Northern Municipality of Bahrain.

Aims of the Study OR Research Objective The main objective of this research is to illustrate the prospect and challenges of water supply at the domestic level in the Northern Municipality of Bahrain. Specific objectives are- To identify the measures taken by Electricity and Water Authority at the domestic level to meet the sustainable water demand in Bahrain. To demonstrate the prospects for water supply management at the domestic level in Northern Municipality of Bahrain. To illustrate the key challenges of Electricity and Water Authority regarding water management at the domestic level in the Northern Municipality of Bahrain. To formulate a clearly-defined and properly integrated water management policies at the domestic level of Bahrain.

Literature Background (Should be between 2-3 Pages) The Kingdom of Bahrain is a small island in Asia. UN organization declared, it is an arid country with severe water shortages problems. In Bahrain, the natural water source is only Groundwater supported by desalination plants. During the last fifty years, the demand for water is increasing day by day due to rapid population growth, fast urbanization, wide socio-economic developments and improved standards of living in Bahrain (Mubarak, 2005).  Water is one of the most valuable resources on earth and its availability differs from one region to another (Gibbons, 2007). It is a vital resource in socio-economic development and for supporting the ecosystem. It is a scarce resource in the Gulf region. Arid and semi-arid regions are particularly likely to experience water shortages if the water infrastructure and management are poor (Hana, 2011). Since the island of Bahrain is located on the Gulf Coast, the household consumers have been suffering much from other sectors due to the shortage of fresh and clean water at the domestic level. In Bahrain, there are numbers of studies is conducted on water demand management.  “Water refers to a substance composed of the chemical elements hydrogen and oxygen and existing in gaseous, liquid, and solid states (Steven, 2020)”. Besides, Jim Chappelow defines, “Demand is an economic value referring to a consumer's desire to purchase goods and services and willingness to pay a price for a specific good or service (Jim, 2019)”.  According to George R. Terry, Management refers to the process of planning, organizing, directing, stimulating and controlling to accomplish a predetermined goals (George, 2020). Therefore, water demand management is the process of managing water resources in respect of water demand and supply where consumer benefit get preferences.  In Bahrain there are several sources of water like groundwater, desalinated water and treated wastewater (Sinéad, 2015). The Dammam aquifer system and the Rus-Umm er Radhuma (Rus-UER) aquifer system are the source of ground water in Bahrain. The Dammam aquifer system is considered a renewable aquifer system and the Rus-UER aquifer system is considered non-renewable. The expansion of the desalinated water and treated wastewater will be crucial in reducing groundwater. However, such sources of water do not meet the need of increased house hold consumers in Bahrain (Ahmad, 2020).  Mohammed Saleh Al. Ansari documents about ‘The Water Demand Management in the Kingdom of Bahrain’. He demonstrates, a costly water supply method including has been applied in Bahrain to meet all water demands. This method includes both traditional and non-conventional water supplies. Conversely, the demand for water is ever growing and the supply has not significantly increased in Bahrain (Al., 2013).  On the contrary, Abu Qdais illustrates the opinion on water demand in Bahrain. He argues that socio-economic characteristics and water resource reliability factors affected the water demand in Bahrain. He added, for managing effective water resources and meeting the need of the household consumers, water policies takes based on consumer's opinions (Abu, 2003).  Additionally, Jalil and Njiru also document that, the costs of developing new approaches to obtaining raw water are steadily rising despite the scarcity of suitable water sources. In this regard, a new approach to Water Demand Management (WDM) is essential to shift the sustainable and integrated water policy in Bahrain (Jalil, 2006).  However, in worldwide several studies have conducted on water demand management. In the UK, C. Muñoz-Trochez & Smout conduct a study on water demand management. They argue Water Demand Management (WDM) is a relatively new concept. It refers to the Integrated Urban Water Resources Management (IUWRM) components. It primary concerned with effective management and distribution of water in both urban and rural areas (C. Muñoz-Trochez & Smout, 2009).  Regarding this issue, in Jordan Al-Jayyousi and Kofahi documents that “the purpose of water demand management is to increase supply, and to make more water available to domestic, industrial, agricultural, commercial and other consumers through the exploitation of water resources. They further define, water demand management focuses on effective legislation and water use extraction, optimal utilization protection, and development of existing water resources, Groundwater exploration and recharge and recycling of wastewater (A. Kofahi, 2001) .”  However, in the past few years, different scholars and authors have extensively written about water demand management in Bahrain, but preliminary literature review shows that the policy objectives of these water demand management efforts are rather fragmented and are inconsistent with the principles of sustainable water resources development and management. Moreover, there is a gap between the available water supplies and the anticipated water demand has been continuously growing. Therefore, there is a desperate need to formulate a clearly-defined and properly integrated water management policies that take into consideration various challenges and prospects of water demand and supply management in the Northern Municipality of Bahrain.

Theoretical/Conceptual Framework  Dependent Variable (Y):  DEP VAR (Y):            Water Demand Management                                                         Definition:              Water Demand Management is a strategy to improve efficiency and                                          sustainable use of water resources, taking into account of economic, social                                     and environmental considerations. Independent Variables (X’s): INDEP VAR 1:           Domestic Consumers Definition:                    Domestic consumer refers to those people who are the beneficiary or                                           users of domestic utility like water, gas, electricity etc. But in this study,                                    domestic consumers mean that the people who use or want to use water                                    resources for household affairs in Bahrain. INDEP VAR 2:         Water Price and water tariff Definition:                   A water tariff is a price assigned to water supplied by a public utility                                           through a network like piped or drainage to its customers/consumers.   INDEP VAR 3:        Government Policies       Definition:                 Government policies refer to the strategies that include the things which                                            are to be done in a certain way for solving any issues. Government policy                                     describes a course of action and creates a starting point for change. Moderating Variables:   MOD VAR 1:            Water Supply Management       Definition:                 In this study water supply management is a the moderating variable that                                           aims to increase supply, and to make more water available to domestic, and                                       other consumers through the exploitation of water resources by best way.                                         MOD VAR 2:          Public age and Gender Definition:                 Public age and gender describe the demographic status of consumer who                                    is  the respondents of this study...........(More)...... Main Research Questions A) How can the Electricity and Water Authority take measures at the domestic level to meet the sustainable water demand in Bahrain?         i. What are the impacts of Domestic consumers on water management demand procedures in achieving efficient and equitable water resources utilization         ii. What are the water resources in the Electricity and Water Authority of Bahrain to meet the water demand at domestic level?         iii. How can consistent evaluation and monitor of water demand management authority ensures effective water supply at the domestic level? B)  To what extent the prospects for Electricity and Water Authority at the domestic level regarding water management in the Northern Municipality of Bahrain?         i. Can the low cost of water supply ensure proper distribution and management of water at the domestic level?         ii. How can National and regional Partnerships ensure prospects of effective water supply at the domestic level? C) What are the key challenges of Electricity and Water Authority at the domestic level regarding water management in the Northern Municipality of Bahrain?        i. Does a high rate of water tariff and price hamper the water crisis at the domestic level?         ii. How can scare resources impact on water supply? Research Methodology and Data Collection Method For any research, it is essential to define the process involved in designing a study and to validate how the specific research design that a researcher decides to use helps to arrangement the collection, analysis and interpretation of data (D. Nachmias & Naachmias, 1997). As the aim of this study is to illustrate the prospect and challenges of water supply in domestic level in the Northern Municipality of Bahrain. This research will be exploratory in nature while mixed method approach will be employed which incorporates both qualitative and quantitative tools. The qualitative approach seeks build a detail and deep analysis of the empirical situation and at the same time, quantitative approach (survey) will be used to draw the gross view of current scenario based on people’s perception regarding the research topic. Following part sums up the tools and methods to be used in the research:  Literature Review: Considering the aim of this research, secondary data will be collected from published books, journals, articles, e-book, newspaper and report of different organizations which are related to this study. Qualitative tools: As mentioned earlier, as a part of the mixed method research, data will be collected from both primary and secondary sources. While using qualitative tools, data collection will take place from both individual and group level sources. As individual respondent, a number of face to face interview will be conducted. Moreover that, its planned to deploy Case Study method while total four cases will be picked for detail study from domestic level. Quantitative tool (Survey): As a part of the quantitative mode of data collection, a sample survey will be conducted and to serve that purpose, a structured questionnaire will be prepared. As planned, before finalizing the survey questionnaire, a pilot survey will be done in a limited mode. Sampling Design (Population Definition, Sampling Criteria, Sampling Type and/or Method) A totality of 150 respondents will be selected from the inhabitants of the Northern Municipality in Bahrain. Collected data will be organized characteristically and the coding activities will be done manually. Prepared data will be analyzed statistically with data analysis software ‘MS Excel’ and ‘Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS)’ and will be presented in the report accordingly. In the whole research process, ethical ground and confidentiality will be maintained strictly. Sampling plan for the research is as follows  Table 1: Sample Size for Survey   Location Criteria of respondent No of respondent Total no of respondents Northern  Municipality in Bahrain   Household consumers   150 from Municipality area 150  Table 2: Sample Size for Qualitative Research   Location Criteria of respondent Total no of respondents             Northern  Municipality in Bahrain   Chief of Northern  Municipality   1 Community elites 7 Electricity and water authority  Officials 8 Others (NGO staffs etc.) 4 - 20 Respondents Case Study 4 Cases     Significance of the Study The Kingdom of Bahrain is an archipelago of several low-lying islands. It is a member of the arid to semi-arid six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. It does not have dams, centralized irrigation systems, or large good fields. Its water-related infrastructure consists mainly of desalination and wastewater treatment plants. Therefore, the shortage of fresh and clean water is the severe challenge of Bahrain.  In this context, relevant literature has discussed that found a gap regarding the research issue. Also, it has found that WDM procedures were not included properly in the national strategies of Bahrain. That’s why the research endeavor so. The research mainly focuses on water demand management at the domestic level in the Northern municipality of Bahrain. Under this issue, the research will analyze the problems and prospects of water supply management in the selected area. This research will provide comprehensive ideas and elucidation about water demand management at the domestic level in the Northern municipality of Bahrain. It is assumed that the research will bring constructive benefits for each consumer at the domestic level in the Northern municipality of Bahrain in respect of water demand management.  However, as a contemporary issue, no extensive research is conducting on this topic around the world, and also in Bahrain, no holistic research has done to contribute to updating knowledge in this area. Therefore, the contribution of this research is very relevant, significant, and pragmatic for domestic consumers in Bahrain.    REFERENCES A. Kofahi, O. A.-J. (2001). Role of Education and Public Awareness in Water Demand Management: The Experience of The Jordanian Environmental Society. Jordanian: Jordanian Environmental Society. Abu, A. H. (2003). Strategies of Integrated Water Resource Management. Emirates Centre for Research and Strategic Studies, p. 69. Ahmad, O. A. (2020, January 15). Water Resources in Bahrain - Fanack Water. Retrieved from Fanack Water: https://water.fanack.com/bahrain/water-resources-bahrain/ Al., S. M. (2013, June). The Water Demand Management in The Kingdom of Bahrain. International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT), 2(5), p. 553. Al-Khaddar Rafid, E., & Najat, M. (2017). Water Scarcity in the Kingdom of Bahrain - Uncertainty or Lack of Knowledge. UK: Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). Retrieved from https://iwra.org/member/congress/resource/abs171_article.pdf C. Muñoz-Trochez, S. K., & Smout, I. (2009). Incorporating Energy Use into the Economic Level of Leakage Model,. 2nd International Conference on Whole Life Urban Sustainability and its Assessment (p. P.). Loughborough: UK . Dziegielewski D., a. R. (2006). A National Water Demand Management Policy in Jordan. Journal of Management of Environmental Quality, 17(2), pp. 216-225. George, T. R. (2020, August 10). Management Definitions by Great Management Scholars - What is Human Resource? (Defined) Human Resource Management Topics - Labour Laws - High Courts & Supreme Court Citation- Case Laws. Retrieved from Whatishumanresource.com: http://www.whatishumanresource.com/management-definitions-by-great-management-scholars#:~:text=According%20to%20George%20R.,accomplish%20pre%2Ddetermined%20objectives.%22 Gibbons, W. (2007). Water Is One Of Our Most Valuable Resources. Georgia: The University of Georgia. Hana, A.-M. H. (2011). Water Demand Management : A Case Study of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Bahrain: Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University. Hana, A.-M. H. (2011). Water Demand Management : A Case Study of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Loughborough: Loughborough University. Jalil, C. N. (2006). Water Demand Management in Urban Water supplies-Present and Future Challenges. Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, p. 59. Jim, C. (2019, June 25). Demand Definition. Retrieved from Investopedia: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/demand.asp#:~:text=Demand%20is%20an%20economic%20principle,quantity%20demanded%2C%20and%20vice%20versa. Mubarak, A.-N. A. (2005). Water Use and Management in Bahrain: An Overview. Bahrain: Ministry of Municipalities and Agriculture. Nations, U. (2009). Water Resources Issues. Beirut: United Nations House. P. Van der Zaag, H., & P.Savenije. (2002). Water as an Economic Good and Demand Management: Paradigms and Pitfalls. Water International, pp. 98-104. Rehan, A. (2019, January 12). Water Scarcity in Bahrain | EcoMENA. Retrieved from EcoMENA: https://www.ecomena.org/water-scarcity-in-bahrain/ Sinéad, L. (2015, August 11). Bahrain Food and Water Security - Future Directions International. Retrieved from Future Directions International: http://www.futuredirections.org.au/publication/bahrain-food-and-water-security/#:~:text=The%20three%20key%20water%20sources,meeting%20long%2Dterm%20water%20demand. Steven, Z. S. (2020, August 10). Water | Definition, Chemical Formula, Structure, & Facts. Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/science/water VNR. (2018). The Kingdom of Bahrain’s First Voluntary National Review (2018) on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Bahrain: English translation of the VNR report. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/2132920181231_Bahrain_VNR_English_translation.pdf