The long period of great fragility experienced by the lockdown has strained entire countries. In response to COVID-19, Italy performed stay-at-home orders to attenuate disease spread, provoking drastic changes in all aspects of users' behaviour, particularly affecting water demand. A dataset of hourly water demand for 2019, 2020, and 2021, related to five Italian towns permitted to observe water consumption changes. Trends highlight a general decrease in water consumption, linked to the strict restrictions imposed and a morning peak shift. At the end of the strict quarantine regulations, water consumption did not return to pre-pandemic values because COVID-19 has led to a change in lifestyle.
Two years of COVID restrictions: a lesson from water demand data / Balacco, Gabriella; Martellotta, Audrey Maria Noemi; Iacobellis, Vito; Piccinni, Alberto Ferruccio. - In: WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: WATER SUPPLY. - ISSN 1606-9749. - 23:2(2023), pp. 948-959. [10.2166/ws.2023.004]
Two years of COVID restrictions: a lesson from water demand data
Balacco, Gabriella;Martellotta, Audrey Maria Noemi;Iacobellis, Vito;Piccinni, Alberto Ferruccio
2023-01-01
Abstract
The long period of great fragility experienced by the lockdown has strained entire countries. In response to COVID-19, Italy performed stay-at-home orders to attenuate disease spread, provoking drastic changes in all aspects of users' behaviour, particularly affecting water demand. A dataset of hourly water demand for 2019, 2020, and 2021, related to five Italian towns permitted to observe water consumption changes. Trends highlight a general decrease in water consumption, linked to the strict restrictions imposed and a morning peak shift. At the end of the strict quarantine regulations, water consumption did not return to pre-pandemic values because COVID-19 has led to a change in lifestyle.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
