The reality
90.14 million kids in India are suffering from a severe water shortage as per UNICEF reports. Water demand continues to increase dramatically while water availability diminishes. In addition to rapid population growth, urbanization, water misuse and mismanagement, climate change and extreme weather events reduce available quantities of safe water, exacerbating water stress.
The Causes
Water scarcity is caused by water misuse and mismanagement. However, currently advanced technologies are available to address such issues especially leakages in distribution systems, which is arguably the most major cause of water waste.
Leakages occur along the distribution pipelines, starting from the water treatment plant or storage until it reaches the consumers.
What we can do?
Hence, to reduce water loss and improve distribution efficiency and water cost leakage detection and management is required. Addressing leakages is also imperative for preserving public health as contaminated water is a major cause for a host of water-borne diseases.
Water monitoring with the help of AI & IoT
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) based leakage detection systems can be effective in addressing water leaks from large water distribution systems to domestic or industrial water systems.
Leak detection systems use built-in water / liquid sensors for leak detection. A simple setup of sensors installed in the water distribution network, at multiple points, continuously monitor activity and changes in the water quality and quantity to detect leakage. Parameters such as water level, temperature, humidity, and other details are detected accurately and transmitted to the cloud-enabled systems. In data analytics, leaks or chances of leaks are detected and reported/ communicated to users through SMS, calls, or emails. The IoT and AI based leak detection systems can identify, localize, locate and pinpoint leakages. Real time-based monitoring will give a lot of hand to water operators as it helps to predict leak or burst which will enable them to to plan the repairs and maintenance on the water distribution networks.