<p>West Mani, an attractive place in western Peloponnese, Greece, faces water shortage. The problem lies not only in the quantity but also in the quality of the available water. Investigating the options for the sustainable management of water resources, utilizing surface water seems to be the optimal solution. However, the complex geomorphology and geology of the study area, and its particular its karstic structure, when combined with the scarcity of hydrological data, makes the estimation of surface water availability challenging. As a result, it is considered necessary to take hydrological uncertainty into account using stochastic analysis. To this aim, we generate synthetic rainfall and streamflow timeseries based on available meteorological data from basins near the area of interest. We then appropriately adjust them so that they represent the magnitude and the variability of the rainfall and streamflow of the study area. For the timeseries generation algorithm, we employ a stochastic model following the Hurst-Kolmogorov dynamics by reproducing marginal distribution, seasonality and persistence.</p>

<p>Water infrastructure is an indicator of human civilization and its evolution. The sustainable water management and distribution to local communities remains a critical engineering priority so that the most efficient usage is achieved. In this analysis the design of water-infrastructure establishments is studied for the community of the Municipality of Western Mani (western Peloponnese, Greece).</p><p>One of the main issues that arise is the presence of karstic-limestone geological structure at the study area with no permanent watercourses. Furthermore, the lack of data about the current quantity of surface water makes it difficult to formulate trustworthy conclusions on the availability of water resources. Additionally, the notable growth of the tourist sector during the summer months in the past few years exacerbates this issue. Due to the above reasons, the available water is not enough to cover the needs of the Municipality, especially during the summer.</p><p>After examining all the possible options that have been proposed to increase the water availability (e.g., through dams, wells, desalination, water ponds etc.), we investigate an optimal solution that aims to achieve a more efficient water management and distribution to the communities of Western Mani. To this aim, we apply a multi-criteria decision-making approach by also considering local traditional water harvesting systems to increase water resilience.</p>

<p>Infrastructures for the supply of water are one of the most necessary facilities in modern life. The optimal design of such infrastructures (for example, dams or even small-size tanks) is often a great challenge in civil engineering, given the large number of factors required for their design (e.g., feasibility, reliability, cost effectiveness, resilience). One of the most critical decisions that may have a great impact on the optimization procedure is the determination of the scale of the proposed system.</p><p>During a study of such a design of a water supply infrastructure in the Municipality of Western Mani, it became clear that several solutions of different scales coexisted. Ultimately, the cost-benefit factors were the most heavily considered ones, provided that the required reliability was met. Stochastic methods have been proven to be appropriate tools for studying such highly complex and uncertain puzzles. The current study intends to approach this problem by considering solutions of different scales, and to establish the long-term cost effectiveness as the main criterion to evaluate the different solutions.</p>

<p>Water availability is a critical issue for growing local communities. For example, in the Municipality of Western Mani (western Peloponnese, Greece) tourist development has caused scarcity of water intensifying during the summer period. In this context, multiple solutions are being studied in order to assist the local communities of Western Mani to deal with this situation.</p><p>This study focuses on traditional water harvesting structures and more specifically cisterns. In the past, a cistern was present nearby or almost at every house, collecting rain water so as to cover the various needs of the inhabitants, including human consumption and irrigation. However, although cisterns today have fallen into disuse due to the developments of modern water supply systems, they remain an important part of cultural heritage and an architectural element of great interest.</p><p>In this work, we evaluate the potential of traditional water infrastructures to cover domestic needs employing the method of stochastic simulation based on hydrological data and by also taking into account traditional architecture.</p>

Water has always been a driver of human civilization. The first human civilizations thrived in places with an abundance of water, typically nearby large rivers as the Tigris–Euphrates, Yang Che and Nile. The invention and construction of hydraulic infrastructure came only later, in prehistoric times, triggered by the expansion of humanity in water-scarce areas. The ancient Greeks invented impressive hydraulic works and small-scale structures, some of which, such as cisterns, were still fully operational until the 20th century. We present a model that explains the use of cisterns in the water-scarce area of West Mani, which allows us to assess the potential of this traditional rainfall harvesting practice to support the modern water supply needs. To assess the system’s reliability, we employ a long-term simulation of a typical cistern system, using synthetic rainfall series from a stochastic model, and assuming variable water demand on a monthly scale. We show that a proper restoration of the cisterns could be sustainable as a complementary water supply source, decreasing the area’s drinking water cost and increasing the locals’ resilience against water shortages. In addition, we highlight the links between the area’s hydroclimate and its history and discuss the cultural merits of reviving and preserving this ancient, long practice.