Analysis on drinking water use change by COVID-19: a case study of residential area in S-city, South Korea

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 started to spread at early 2020 in South Korea and has been threatening our life in many aspects. Countermeasures such as social distancing to prevent COVID-19 spread have brought many changes in our society an human life. In this study, as a part of the COVID-19 pandemic management, drinking water usage change is analyzed to evaluate potential risks on water supply service. We collected hourly water use data of residential area in S city, which is a mid-size city in South Korea, before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The collected data were analyzed to reveal the changes in total water consumption, water usage weight, and hourly water-demand pattern caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The case study revealed the noticeable changes in water consumption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and required more secured and adaptive operation of drinking water system under the pandemic situation caused by infectious disease.