Access to clean water is a basic human right, and while Government strives to provide access for all, the reality is that South Africa (SA) is currently facing a potential water crisis.

By Eckart Zollner, Business Development Manager, The Jasco Group

A shortage of clean water to areas already serviced by municipalities is becoming a growing challenge, as demand outstrips supply, aging infrastructure becomes unable to cope with volumes, and millions of litres of clean and treated water are lost due to leaks, among other problems.

By harnessing the power of technology in the form of big data and advanced analytics software, water utilities and municipalities alike will be empowered to better manage water networks and as a result, improve service delivery.

The problem

It is estimated that 36.8% of the total municipal water supplied in South Africa is lost before it reaches municipal customers, from industry to households, according to research released by the Water Research Commission (WRC).

One of the major reasons for this wastage is due to undetected leaks, which are an issue because the majority of the water network is buried underground, and leaks are often difficult to pinpoint until they cause further damage such as sinkholes or collapsed infrastructure.

This wasted water is still undergoing costly treatment to ensure it is clean and potable, however, it cannot be charged for and fails to generate revenue for municipalities.

The solution

However, new technology solutions such as big data analytics have the potential to turn this challenge around.

Water utilities by their very nature generate significant volumes of data, which can be harnessed and analysed to provide insight for improved management and decision-making ability.

Utilising intelligent data analytics based on past usage data combined with predictive flow modelling as well as real-time information on water levels, weather reports, water flows, pressure and more, significant events can be detected and alerts sent out to highlight potential issues.

This type of data analysis can create alerts for water leaks and loss, burst pipes, loss of water pressure and faulty metres, as well as usage patterns, water quality issues and much more.

This type of end-to-end water network management, delivered as a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SAAS), can greatly assist water utilities to avert a water crisis.