Urban water demand categories – what is excluded from “public uses”? In municipal water-demand accounting, which item below is not counted under the “public uses” category?

Introduction / Context:
Planning water-supply systems requires breaking down demand into categories such as domestic, commercial/institutional, industrial, and public uses. Clear categorization avoids double counting and supports tariff policy.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Conventional municipal accounting practices.
• “Public uses” include non-revenue activities benefiting the community as a whole.

Concept / Approach:
Public uses typically include parks and gardens irrigation, street washing, public fountains, and fire-fighting allowances. Domestic drinking and household use is classified separately as “domestic” (or residential) and not under “public uses.”

Step-by-Step Solution:
List public-use items → parks, gardens, street sprinkling, firefighting.Identify the item that belongs to the domestic category → drinking purposes.Select the non-public category item as the answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Design manuals and bye-laws routinely separate domestic per-capita allowances from public-use percentages to compute system peaks.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• (a), (b), (c), and (e) are standard public-use components in planning estimates.

Common Pitfalls:
Including domestic consumption within public use leads to overestimating non-revenue water; always keep categories distinct.

Final Answer:
Drinking purposes (domestic consumption)