It is no surprise that the survival of humanity depends on the availability of water resources. Water stress has fast become a major cause for concern in various regions, largely due to decreasing freshwater reserves. According to United Nations Researchers, it is estimated that more than 50% of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed regions by 2050.
“Only 71% of the world’s population have access to clean water.”
World Health Organisation (WHO)
The cost of lost water amounts to $39 billion a year and accompanied with the fact that consumers want businesses to do more than pay lip service to environmental issues, companies now need to show real evidence of how they are reducing their impact on the planet’s resources, including their approach to water management.
Unlike the oil and gas industry, the water industry is behind with its uptake of digitisation and in the monitoring of networks. With water shortages occurring across some countries there is a real need to better monitor the usage, supply, and treatment of both supply water and waste-water networks. To achieve these goals, the water industry must digitise, and use smart sensors across all areas of its water networks.
IoT has been a pioneer in developing solutions that are rich in monitoring, analytical, and automation features. These innovative features allow industries to optimize operational methodologies, boost overall equipment effectiveness, and automate processes that are generally performed manually.
This topical issue is also particularly pertinent for other water-intensive industries such as manufacturing and agriculture, which use large amounts of water to produce cars, clothing, crops and other vital goods.
While this cutting-edge technology has already projected its potential in the manufacturing sector and other production centric industries, its benefits are now being apprehended in utilities. The introduction of IoT into the water industry can lead to increases in efficiency, reduction in pollution from contaminants or waste materials, and more.
