Intense rolling blackouts are currently dominating headlines in South Africa. But water stress is another silent problem that is becoming a major crisis — and we’re currently seeing the effects of this in Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape.

Having had several consecutive years of poor rain, total dam levels supplying the Nelson Mandela Bay metro are very low, fluctuating from approximately 12% to 18%, according to recent data from the likes of the Department of Water and Sanitation. Making matters worse, recent rainfall in the area has not been enough to break the drought, according to the South African Weather Service.

For residents on the ground, this means that they can only use 50 litres of water per day in the metro in order to help prevent Day Zero.

Where we’re falling short

Just a few years ago, the City of Cape Town went through similar water stress challenges and managed to contain the issue. The important lessons from this are that planning and proper implementation are required in order to mitigate such a crisis.

In terms of dealing with water stress, there are at least five areas where municipalities can focus more of their energy and resources. Similar to the City of Cape Town’s strategy and approach, other cities should consider introducing the following interventions:

• Adopting a greater array of mixed water sources;
• Approaching demand management with a more long-term view as opposed to a short-term mitigation strategy;
• Reducing water wastage where the mindset should be that “every drop does truly count”;
• Implementing smart supply strategies and technologies; and;
• Introducing better recycling and reuse of water.

Technology — ranging from the Internet of Things (IoT) to sensors, digital twins (DT) and artificial intelligence (AI) — can help in all of these aspects.

IoT and sensors

As part of the IoT universe, sensors and smart meters are crucial components that help us to acquire vital information from a distance. Importantly, sensors can assist with measuring, among others, the following key aspects for enhanced water management:

• The changing quantity of water in a reservoir or dam;
• The quality of raw water before and after treatment, as well as the quality of wastewater;
• The pressure in pipelines and distribution systems;
• Real-time water consumption, overconsumption and/or wastage; and
• The status of equipment (its wear and tear), and its probable remaining useful life, as well as providing insight into maintenance, repair and/or replacement requirements.

As such, these pieces of technology give us a better picture and much-needed insight into the changing conditions of our water resources, infrastructure and equipment enabling smarter, faster and more effective decision-making and resource allocation.

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Digital twins

IoT technologies form the building blocks of other tools that we can use to better manage our water resources. One example of this is that of digital twins (DT). This technology consists of virtual models or digital replicas of physical objects (for example, it could be a water infrastructure system).

By collecting real-time data, a DT connects the virtual and real world. Sensors and smart meters are the hardware components of DT. Software then enables engineers and other experts to interpret this data, analyse it and make informed decisions that have a real-world impact.

Intimately understanding these digital models can make us more efficient at how we manage our real-world infrastructure.

Artificial intelligence

If IoT, sensors and DT are crucial when it comes to gaining a better understanding of our water systems, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning can help us manage these systems more efficiently.

For example, AI can estimate the future water consumption of a town or city and result in the automatic operation of pumps and reservoirs to proactively respond to that demand. AI can also determine the future composition of pollutants or contaminants in the water and increase the efficiency of treatment plants by optimising chemical dosing, aeration requirements and reducing resource consumption and energy costs.

To complete the digital twin loop, it’s crucial that all these components are in place. That is, we need the digital model (or replica of the real-world object or infrastructure) but also the hardware and software backed up by AI — thereby bringing the virtual and real world together.

The future is here

On a global level, we are starting to see a significant shift among water utilities towards the use of technologies, such as the ones I’ve mentioned, when it comes to improved water management.

Understandably, resources to invest in digital technologies and innovations are limited and often compete with investments in new water infrastructure. However, we need to start planning and implementing along these lines so as to deal with this very real continual crisis, which we need to learn to adapt to and do better.

And the first step, at least, is to start thinking about planning for this digital transformation and adopting practices and technologies that are less investment intensive around better data management and usage.

What is also crucial is that we transfer practical knowledge and learnings from people, places and entities (such as water utilities and water boards) in other countries where the adoption of innovation and technology in the water sector is further advanced.

In this way, we can collectively create an environment and mindset that is open to new ways of doing things, as well as solving the water problems that are shared by all. DM