TITLE:
Optimizing Water Supply Distribution Network at Makongo in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
AUTHORS:
Gratian Charles, Livingstone Swilla, Irene Tarimo, Edmund Mutayoba
KEYWORDS:
Water Distribution, Hydraulic Modeling, EPANET, Optimization, Extended Period Simulation
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.13 No.12,
December
4,
2025
ABSTRACT: Rapid urbanization in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, has strained the water supply network in areas like Makongo, leading to significant challenges such as low pressure, high water losses, and poor hydraulic performance due to aging and undersized infrastructure. This study aimed to optimize the Makongo water distribution network by creating and calibrating a high-fidelity hydraulic model using EPANET. The model, which included 1404 pipes, 1250 junctions, 5 pumps, and 2 reservoirs, was built with data from DAWASA, GIS mapping, and extensive field surveys. We used an Extended Period Simulation (EPS) and skeletonization techniques to accurately capture temporal demand variations while preserving the core system’s behavior. The model was successfully calibrated and validation confirmed robustness (R2 = 0.89, RMSE = 10.26 m), demonstrating its high accuracy and robustness. Our optimization efforts led to a significant improvement in hydraulic performance. The number of nodes with pressures below the recommended 15 m head was reduced by 91%. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed a statistically significant improvement in pressure distribution (Z = −3.92, p