A Quantitative Study of Water Consumption in Households and Commercial Centers in Al-Bayda City

Abstract

To protect water resources and promote efficient consumption, this study examined household and commercial water consumption rates in Al-Bayda City, as well as the per capita daily water usage. A questionnaire was used as the primary data collection tool, distributed to a sample of households in Al-Bayda and various commercial centers that consume significant amounts of water (such as car washes, carpet cleaning shops and salons, butcher shops, and poultry shops). The sample included 100 households, representing 90.9% of the total household questionnaires, and 107 commercial centers, representing 97.3% of the total commercial questionnaires.

The results revealed a positive correlation between daily household water consumption and factors such as age, family size, housing area, number of bathrooms, number of kitchens, number of water tanks, and frequency of weekly showers. For commercial centers, daily water consumption showed a positive relationship with the number of workers and water tanks, and a negative relationship with the number of bathrooms and kitchens.

The findings showed that the average household size in the study sample was about six members, with an average daily household water consumption of approximately 1.45 cubic meters. The average daily consumption per commercial center was around 2.13 cubic meters. The per capita daily water consumption was estimated at 223.77 liters.

The study recommends implementing an integrated media, educational, and cultural program to raise public awareness of the importance of water conservation, particularly in Al-Bayda City. It also highlights the need for regulations and policies to manage agricultural water demand and to adopt virtual water strategies as part of sustainable water development policies in Libya.