SmartWater: 4 ways leaders are using smart technology to address the world’s water challenges
Wherever there is human life, there are water challenges. Asia is a diverse region, in terms of economic development, population size and density, and infrastructure capabilities, yet leaders in this region face the same fundamental challenge: the most efficient management of Earth’s most precious natural resource in an era with increasing human and environmental demands.
In the second of our three-part #SmartWater series, we look at challenges and opportunities in the water and wastewater management sector and how leaders can meet these using smart technology.
Singapore and South Korea lead the way
In our last blog, we looked at some of the water challenges faced by Asia, and how leveraging smart technologies presents leaders with an opportunity to become global pioneers in the field of water management. Singapore and South Korea are already leading the way when it comes to using smart technology in this critically important sector. These nations have adopted innovative practices to great effect, making the most of technologies such as IOT, Edge Computing and Real-Time Data.
While South Korean and Singaporean leaders have made great progress in water innovation through smart technology, the greater region has lots of catching up to do to face both current and (increasingly complex) future water challenges.
Issues and challenges in water management
Industrial water pollution is a challenge across the world, but particularly in developing countries.
China has seen a massive spike in cancer rates in villages across the country, deemed the cancer village phenomenon. Additionally, tens of thousands of fish recently died in Vietnam due to a toxic spill from a steel factory. The United Nation estimates that the fossil fuel sector alone contaminates up to 18 billion cubic metres of freshwater resources annually.
The manufacturing, agriculture, and shipping sectors compound this problem further, particularly in developing countries: the UN estimates that as much as 70% of industrial wastewater is dumped untreated into waterways in the developing world, a figure which Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimates as 80% for the Asia Pacific region. Industrial water pollution is likely to only increase, as the region experiences rapid population and economic growth, leading to further pressures on the environment.
Not only will this have dire consequences for the region’s citizens and communities, but industrial firms also risk financial and reputational damage in the form of consumer backlash and government fines. However, proper water management can also benefit companies in terms both of cost efficiency and social license to operate.
The geography and climate of Asia makes the countries in this region particularly vulnerable to floods, posing another set of challenges for organisations involved in water management. In 2014 and 2015, the north-east monsoon caused serious floods, afflicting Indonesia, Malaysia, Southern Thailand and Sri Lanka, and displacing millions. These floods also contaminated potable water, leading to dangerous and even fatal water-borne diseases: every year, more than 340,600 children under five die globally from diarrhoeal diseases due to poor sanitation, poor hygiene or unsafe drinking water.
Disaster-related losses in 2016 totalled $87 billion in Asia; a quarter of these losses were caused by flooding. Additionally, Asia has incurred half of the estimated global economic cost of water-related disasters over the last two decades.
The impact of global warming and climate change pose another water management challenge. Changes in temperature, evaporation and precipitation will impact Asia’s water resources, such as river flows. Climate change has already increased the frequency of floods and drought. Many hundreds of millions of people live in Asian cities and countries which are situated in low-lying geographical locations and will be adversely affected by the expected rise of sea levels. Climate change poses new challenges to water management in Asia.
All the while, the demand for water continues to grow
The need for water is on the rise globally. Developed nations in the region, such as Japan and Singapore, have effectively reduced their per-capita water usage, but demand is nonetheless expected to increase across the region. Some estimates predict that water demand will increase by 50 per cent by 2050, leaving 3.4 billion people in the region facing water insecurity. Reducing this figure to 0% by 2030 as per the UN’s stated targets is likely to be a difficult challenge, particularly considering the rapid increase in Asia’s urban population (expected to reach 60% by 2050) and the inadequate urban infrastructure across much of Asia.
A further challenge is the speedy, unsustainable depletion of water in Asia. The Asian Development Bank finds that almost half of the 15 biggest extractors of groundwater globally are in Asia, with India, China and Pakistan accounting for 86 per cent of total Asian groundwater extraction. A complete depletion of groundwater would be inevitable if this status quo continues, with terrible consequences for human consumption and food production alike.
The answer: smart technology. How it is helping leaders solve problems.
Up until recently, engineers and technicians responsible for managing water and wastewater systems faced many complex challenges: maintenance and checking of facilities was often manual, labour-intensive and subject to unforeseen faults and failures. This led to the management of water being an arduous, laborious and largely inefficient process.
But with the rise of smart technology has come a game-changing, innovative shift in water management practices. The good news is that smart technology is helping to deliver solutions to water challenges.
Here are four examples of how leaders are using smart technology to tackle water challenges:
Water quality Safe drinking water is something that many of us take for granted, but billions of people worldwide simply don’t have access to potable water. In India, many workers live in unofficial slums; their only access to water comes from polluted wells. An Indian start-up called Swajal Water has taken on the challenge posed by this humanitarian tragedy, devising a way to use smart technology for IOT-based, solar-powered clean drinking water dispensers.
Loss through leakage Water brought to many cities is wasted by leaky pipes, at great cost: 20% in the average city and an astonishing 60% in Istanbul. 30% of Ho Chi Minh City’s freshwater supply has historically been lost to leaks and other infrastructure problems. Intelligent water management solutions have been implemented in several cities around the world, automatically adjusting water flow via remote sensors, thus reducing excessive pressure in the water pipes. This limits water leakages and losses, minimising waste, cost and energy use.
Pollution prevention A non-sovereign project in China was supported with a comprehensive lake and river pollution prevention and rehabilitation program involving multiple environmental interlocking facilities and services. This included IOT-powered real-time river flow forecasting, drone technology for improved irrigation, solar-powered pumps, and equipment that generates water from the air.
Climate change Digitalisation can be leveraged to develop cities’ reactions to extreme climate change events. Water solution providers can generate real-life simulations of a problem and its proposed approach before construction, testing and optimising various approaches. Through IOT, advanced real-time data collection and sensors, water networks can access information that allows them to operate in a more predictive manner, reducing downtime and avoiding serious environmental consequences.
Time to step up and invest
Now is the time for leaders to step up and invest in smart technology to address the world’s water and wastewater management challenges. Leaders can set an example and establish global best-practice by meeting Asia’s water management needs. This can only be done through effective, dedicated leadership and investment in smart technologies such as IOT, Edge Computing and Real-Time Data.
