Every day the world population uses about 10 billion tons of water, but the scarceness of this vital resource is a critical issue in many countries and regions. We need to remember only 2% of the Earth’s water is fresh, and up to 34% of it is leaking away due to ageing infrastructures, inadequate pipes control and maintenance.
Some cities have already experienced significant water crisis, such as Cape Town in South Africa. In the US, a water pipe breaks every two minutes. In order to maintain current levels of service, the US should spend about USD 750 billion per year over the next 20 years to update water network equipment across the country. In Europe, this cost is estimated at USD 54 billion per year over the next 10 years.
Utilities are turning to Internet of Things platforms, sensor-based solutions, data loggers and Advanced Metering Infrastructures (AMIs) to preserve water and allow a more effective control on pressure levels, consumption, and possible leaks.
But it isn’t only a matter of installing advanced hardware and cutting-edge equipment to collect real-time data. Utilities need to rely of valid Central Management Systems to provide 24/7 monitoring and analytics capabilities, detect anomalies in water network, and feed decisions with actionable insights.
Kurrant Insights digged into the common challenge utilities face in bringing fresh water to consumers and explored the IoT they’re investing in to tackle it: have a look at their video.