Infra Talk: Efficient water management is key to building Smart Cities

The Smart Cities campaign has been high on India’s agenda as this is perceived as the step towards building a sustainable and developed country.

A smart city needs to have an environment that is suitable to accommodate the requirements of the progressive urban population such as transportation, connectivity, uninterrupted power and water and wastewater management to name a few.

As per the Indian Ministry of Urban Development, 60% of India’s population will live in cities by 2050. This means that there will be stress on our cities to deliver more services with limited resources. With India’s rapid urbanisation and growing population, water demand has already exceeded the supply. A smart city will need to ensure 24/7 uninterrupted supply of water for its development, which may not be possible if the current scenario persists.

Therefore, it is very important to take measures to secure water through efficient water management systems.

Intelligent water management systems are critical to making Smart Cities successful. As per a WRG report, there are situations in which 40 pc or more of the water that is pumped into a distribution grid is lost before it ever reaches the consumer in cities across the world. The report goes on to state that many cities have also found that if they simply reduce water pressure in the grid, they also reduce leakage and minimize wear and tear on aging pipes.

Such issues can be addressed by ‘smart’ technologies such as a Demand Driven Distribution pressure control system, which can save both water and money by delivering optimal water pressure at any given time. This system can automatically monitor grid use patterns with remote sensors and adjust the water pressure accordingly using a software algorithm.

It reduces both water and electricity consumption by up to 20%, and water pipes will last longer because they are less likely to crack.

Smart water management is the key building block of the Smart Cities of the future.