Innovative technologies for water supply and distribution in mountainous regions
This report addresses the BMBF‐funded joint‐project “Karst Water Technologies (KaWaTech)”, which concentrates on the development and implementation of innovative water pumping and distribution concepts for subtropical and tropical (karst) regions. Among others, a pilot pumping system is realized in the province Ha Giang, Northern Vietnam, which shall secure the water supply of several thousand people in a sustainable way. As a bypass solution for hydropower plants this facility aims to utilize residual flows during the dry season through a hydropower‐driven pumping system, which cannot be used efficiently for the operation of water turbines. Beside the implementation of the machinery, comprehensive reconstruction and optimization measures have been carried out at the hydraulic infrastructure. In this context comprising investigations regarding adapted building materials have been accomplished in order to develop optimized concrete recipes based on locally available materials.
The supplied water is fed into a centralized reservoir from where it is distributed to the surrounding settlements as well as to the district capital by gravity. In order to accomplish a fair water distribution a flexible distribution concept was developed which considers dynamic fluctuations of the water yield. Here, a new type of distribution tank, containing an innovative multi‐chamber‐system, enables a yield‐depending but demand‐oriented water supply.
Furthermore, the connection of the new distribution system to the existing pipe network of the district's capital was designed. The deficient condition, which among others results from the intermittent operation, required this measure in order to avoid further damages of the infrastructure as well as to ensure the supply with sufficient network pressure.