The Internet of Things is revolutionizing the water sector by providing smart techniques for real-time monitoring of the water levels as well as quality. An average of 9,400 gallons of water is wasted annually by a normal family from household leaks, which is quite a huge amount of water to be wasted. It is approximately equivalent to the annual household water use of nearly 11 million homes. Apart from this, as much as 50% of the water is lost due to poor irrigation methods, inefficient water management systems, evaporation, runoffs, etc.
IoT technology is an advanced concept that is uplifting the water sector by majorly providing water conservation practices through sensor devices and smart approaches. The water authorities are leading the industry by example by integrating the real-time monitoring concepts powered by IoT technology. They are bringing IoT technology into action with the water sector, as taking a step now will improve water quality and quantity for generations.
Consequences of Water Wastage
The decrease in Long-term Water Security
Even though 3/4th of our planet is covered underwater, it still lacks enough freshwater to continue serving mankind for further years. Water wastage results in faster depletion of the resource and mainly occurs due to leakages. This creates a decrease in long-term water security, allowing the water authorities to take quick actions as soon as possible. This is made simpler and easier with the integration of IoT-powered solutions in the water industry. Smart water meters, level monitoring solutions, and smart irrigation are a few segments that are already being implemented within the industry and people are making the most out of it.
High Maintenance Costs
Excess water leakage destroys nearby properties and creates high maintenance costs to fix them. Water leakage is considered a major issue for the industries as there are chances of the equipment getting destroyed and other functioning getting hampered. Also, untreated water leakages can eventually damage the entire structure of the building. Therefore, the use of IoT technology makes it simpler for the water authorities to monitor the water leakage areas. It thus reduces the maintenance costs of damaged infrastructure and provides instant alerts to the users through push notifications, SMS alerts, and emails. It thus allows the managers to take necessary decisions and prevent water leaks before it causes excessive damage.
Disaster-Stricken Areas
Transforming the industries with IoT technology helps prevent disasters by alerting the authorities before any mishappening. The unidentified water wastage in remote areas potentially results in causing disasters like floods and damage the infrastructure at great costs. It thus becomes necessary to prevent such happenings and integrate such a system that enables a better chance in industrial processing. Using the Internet of Things concept to prevent water-related disasters in the industry help improvise the disaster-stricken areas and raise their quality by taking appropriate decisions through data. Hence, you can use IoT technology to perform better operations and industrial processing.
Lack of Resources
Excess water wastage leads to a lack of natural resources and reduces the quantity, which affects the demands of the rising population. Water is the most necessary natural resource in today's times, without which we cannot imagine our survival. Hence, keeping it safe against wastage and other issues is our prime duty. With the increasing adoption of advanced technologies like IoT and AI, industrialists are now transforming their businesses with real-time monitoring techniques, which help save and conserve water at reduced costs. It will further provide them with a unique platform to ensure every drop of water gets utilized in some or another way.
The implications of advanced technologies like the Internet of Things are large and vastly subjected to a better industrial change with their high-tech innovations. The use of smart water meter solutions in industries is significantly helping economists and businessmen to control water usage at all angles. It is thus becoming a prime motive for all of us to practice water conservation techniques and save our most required natural resource, water.