Current water infrastructure is failing as cities are growing at an ever-increasing rate and water use is ever-increasing

Authored by Navkaran Singh Bagga, CEO & Founder, Akvo

This paper is in line with the current trend of rapidly increasing urbanisation and the emerging topic of smart cities. Smart cities are then presented as the most recent version of future urbanistic and technological developments that focus on the creation of sustainable, effective, and sustainable cities. This is an important consideration in the management of water since the issues of scarcity, quality and sustainability are key challenges that are being experienced. Hence, developing intelligent and sustainable water systems are crucial to meet these challenges for future cities.

The Smart Water Systems: Why We Need to Change the Current Water Systems
Current water infrastructure is failing as cities are growing at an ever-increasing rate and water use is ever-increasing. Smart water systems with the help of Internet of things, machine learning, and big data as key enablers provide smarter and effective water management. These systems are intended to regulate the water supply, control its quality, prevent wasting and optimize the use of the resource.

Key drivers for the adoption of smart water solutions include:
1. Water Scarcity: Water shortage is a challenge that is being experienced by many cities given that water is over exploited and the trends are being exacerbated by climate change.
2. Aging Infrastructure: Matured water delivery systems and structures such as legacy systems are associated with leaks that cause wastage of a lot of water.
3. Rising Demand: This is because the increased urbanization and industrialization requires a lot of water and pressure on the available water sources.
4. Sustainability Goals: The governments and corporations are coming out with the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) scores to comply with the sustainable development goals.

Smart Water Technologies:
Smart water systems integrate the use of several technologies in order to manage water in the current environment. Key components include
1. IoT-Enabled Monitoring and Sensors:
The following are some of the applications of IoT in the tracking and monitoring of water flow, pressure and quality; These sensors are able to identify problems such as leaking or contamination and report to the concerned authorities in real time.
2. Big Data and Predictive Analytics:
Through data analytics it is possible to do predictive maintenance on infrastructures, thus avoiding down time as well as the associated repair costs. It also enables city planners to determine water needs and distribution in relation to the anticipated demands.
3. Smart Meters:
Smart metering systems offer consumers the ability to track their consumption in real time, thus, promoting water conservation while also allowing the utilities to manage the losses.
4. Decentralized Water Systems:
Some of the examples include Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs) which provides water sources within a certain area thus relieving the pressure on the central water supply networks. These systems are very useful in areas of water scarcity especially in the urban areas with high water demand.
5. AI-Powered Decision Making:
Water distribution networks can be optimized through the application of AI, inefficiencies in the system can be detected and efficient measures advised. It is also possible to use AI to estimate the effects of urbanization on water resources which will in turn assist in better planning of cities.

AWGs in Smart Water Systems Integration
Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs) are examples of how technology is revolutionizing the water supply systems in the future. AWGs use condensation to obtain drinking water, which is a very innovative idea in terms of the decentralised supply.

In the context of smart cities, AWGs can:
• Offer water sources in the areas which require it most, thus cutting down the costs of transportation and carbon footprint.
• Increase the reliability of water supply in urban areas and provide an additional water sources in case of emergency.
• Facilitate the provision of water needs of public structures and installations such as schools and hospitals through sustainable methods.

These systems are therefore compatible with the smart city concept since they incorporate the use of IoT in monitoring, are efficient in energy use and are sustainable.

Case Studies: Water Systems in Action
• Smart Metering in Urban Areas:
Smart meters have been adopted in some cities and through their usage these cities have been able to cut water loss by between 20 and 30%. Such systems as the smart water systems that provide real time data to consumers on water consumption are effective in creating a water conservation culture.
• IoT Networks for Leak Detection:
Cities that have adopted IoT sensors in managing water losses have cut losses down of on water the that does not get billed.
• Localized Water Solutions:
Decentralised water systems including AWGs have been tested in areas with erratic water supply. These projects are examples of how the decentralized approaches can supplement the centralized systems for urban water supply.

The following are the challenges that may be seen in the course of implementing smart water systems while the following are the challenges that may be seen in the course of implementing smart water systems:
• High Initial Investment: Advanced technologies need a lot of capital to set up, and this may not be easily affordable to many economies in the developing world.
• Data Security and Privacy: This means that there is the need to address issues on the security of the IoT and big data since they pose risks of exposing sensitive information.
• Interoperability: It is important to achieve harmonization between the various technologies and systems in order to guarantee proper functioning.
• Public Awareness and Acceptance: It is therefore important to create awareness among the stakeholders on the benefits of smart water systems in order to ensure its adoption.

It involves the formation of partnerships between the public and private sectors, taking advantage of government incentives and the development of solutions that are flexible enough to suit the various urban conditions.

A Vision for Tomorrow: Water-Smart Cities
Smart water systems are not only a new version of the current water supply systems; it is a revolution in the management of water in cities. By integrating these technologies with sustainable practices these systems can be used to solve the existing problems while at the same time future proof the urban water systems.

Key goals for water-smart cities include:
1. Universal Access: This means providing safe and clean water to all the citizens of the city or county.
2. Zero Waste: Water demand management to ensure that there is no wastage of water in the distribution systems and treatment of water for reuse.
3. Zero Waste: Water supply systems that are able to cope with climate variations and urbanization.
4. Sustainability: According to the current climate change mitigation measures, the following should be the objectives:

Smart water systems play a vital role in developing sustainable new cities of the future. By applying the trends such as the Internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and decentralized approaches including AWGs, the water management can be made effective, fair and environmentally friendly.

The process of developing water smart cities is both a task and a chance. Thus, it is possible to state that with proper investments and cooperation it is possible to create water systems of the future that will be able to provide for the needs of increasing urban populations and, at the same time, be environmentally friendly.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publication.)