Title | Rational consumption of water in administrative public buildings: the experience of the Bahia administrative center, Brazil |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2014 |
Volume | 6 |
Start Page | 2552-2574 |
Issue | 9 |
Pagination | 23 p.; 8 Fig.; 4 Tab.; |
Date Published | 08/2014 |
Publisher | MDPI AG |
Place Published | Basel, Switzerland |
Publication Language | English |
Keywords | public buildings, water consumption, water consumption control |
Abstract | The government has to lead, by example, the effort for more rational water use. Nevertheless, public buildings in countries like Brazil lack the operational and maintenance organization necessary to induce better environmental practices. This paper presents the results of a five-year effort to control and reduce water use in governmental facilities in Salvador, Bahia. Seventeen state government headquarters in Bahia took part in this initiative. The basic actions taken include: daily monitoring and analysis of water consumption, inspections and adjustments of hydraulic equipment flow, rapid repair of leaks and layout improvements in toilets. All of these are part of the main initiative, which aims to implement water management in the facilities. Ecoteams were created and trained to conduct these efforts. Water control, consumption analysis and communication have been made using AGUAPURA VIANET, an Internet software designed by the Federal University of Bahia for this specific purpose. From June 2008, to December 2013, an estimated 270,000 m3 of potable water have been saved, which represents US$ 2.7 million in water and waste water costs. This represents a monthly savings of 31% in expenses compared to the practices before the program started.[authors abstract] |
DOI | 10.3390/w6092552 |