The need to make water management more effective is putting technological solutions that use data to control and monitor the entire supply chain at the center.
According to data collected by the WWF, two-thirds of the world's population may experience water scarcity by 2025. Population growth and climate change are the main reasons, along with overstretched water infrastructure, pollution and inadequate water management.
Smart water management through IoT devices seems to be the most viable solution for both the home and a government structure or an agricultural company; In fact, companies around the world are increasingly investing in smart water management, driving this market.$ 14.3 billion in 2021 to$ 53.6 billion in 2031.
This smart water management involves a process of planning, allocating and monitoring water resources and maintaining related equipment, such as pipes and pumps, through hardware, software and data management.
Sensors, controllers, meters and other devices connected to mobile devices, web applications and data processing and analysis tools are used. All this creates a platform for efficient management of water supply in various aspects.
IoT devices and sensors connected to pipes, treatment plants and pumps They collect real-time data on temperature, level, flow, among others. They then transmit this data over the Internet to a cloud server for further processing and analysis. The knowledge obtained contributes to proper management of the entire system.
In the case of companies and governments, IoT solutions for water management find applications in numerous industries, from agriculture, smart irrigation to city water management, control of water treatment plants, dams and rivers. These technologies allow automate procedures that require manual intervention but also predict problems and respond to them instantly: for example checking water quality and identifying contamination before it becomes dangerous. Finally, they track damage to pipes and other assets, which helps prevent leaks and waste of water resources.
At home, the benefits of connecting pipes with sensors can save on repairs and detect leaks, in addition to taking care of the supply.
In fact, leaks are responsible for 10,000 gallons of water lost each year per household with around 10% of households losing more than 90 gallons per day. For this, there are sensors that detect the humidity on the ground preventively. The most advanced ones even monitor the water pressure at the source and determine leaks based on changes in that water pressure.
Smart faucets come with a range of increasingly advanced features such as touchless control, flow adjustment and disbursement monitoring. This means that you can use Alexa for example to ask your faucet to pour an exact amount of water.
Smart thermostats are placed in both the plumbing and electrical systems of the home to keep track of energy values at any given time and then plan heating accordingly e.g. can preventively heat a tank when electricity rates are low.
As the supply of water becomes scarcer and climate change advances, the effective management of this scarce good is an unavoidable task for the home but also for public and private management. Data and advances in hardware and IoT are offering a revolutionary solution to mitigate a core problem for years to come.
By Julio Cesar Blanco – May 23, 2023
