There is no shade of doubt that water is the world’s most useful commodity. There are several countries where one can easily access water at an economical rate. This is the reason why people belonging to those regions underestimate the value of water. With rapid urbanization, nearly 70% of the world’s population lives in cities. Hence city people require water more frequently and at a large quantity to run their everyday lives. But on a disappointing note, individuals and industries are unaware of proper water optimization. Hence they tend to wastewater frequently. It has been estimated that by 2025 more than half of the world’s population will suffer from water scarcity if immediate measures will not be taken to save water. Somehow, the above lines indicate that water will become the most expensive commodity in the near future. This way water will put a direct impact on the world economy at large. With tremendous technological support, freshwater availability, water purification, sanitation solutions, better irrigation are some of the improvements that could be instilled. Hence organizations and industries once became dependent on Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems to manage water and water systems efficiently. But the practical limitations of its installation points have restricted its use. Here the Internet of Things (IoT) has helped individuals, organizations as well as the industries in better water monitoring, better water regulation, managing chemical leaks and several more.
In case you are reading this and are a Water Tanker Supervisor, then you will get some ideas about the advantages provided by IoT for better water optimization. Read on.
# IoT Lessens Water Wastage
Controlling water wastage is the need of the hour else our future generation will have to suffer from water scarcity for sure. In order to stop water wastage, individuals, organizations, and industries must thoroughly understand the water utilization patterns and take necessary actions to avoid hefty water bills as well. If the USA is taken into consideration, around 4.8 billion gallons of water are literally flushed down the toilet each day. Leakage too causes water wastage beyond a trillion gallons in the USA. Also, several people across the world tend to take long showers that wastewater.
IoT sensors and meters boost efficient water usage, decrease water wastage and identify leaks. Now individuals, organizations and industries can take preventive measures to save water with smart water/moisture sensors. They will alert the user as soon as excessive water or moisture presence will be detected on pipelines, walls or across water tanks/systems. One’s water system will immediately shut off by these IoT driven water/moisture sensors. The prevention of further pipeline damage due to leakage and reduction of water wastage will take place. Rest, IoT driven sensors and meters that are connected to a given water supply line, constantly track the water flow to prevent the smallest of leaks before they become a problem.
Technology is a blessing. But there are times when this is otherwise. Better water management could be done through connected devices in this modern industrial era
#IoT Betters Water System Maintenance
Underground water runs through underground piping. This is the reason why effective maintenance systems cost a lot and complicate the deployment process. But with IoT driven sensors, farmers, business owners, and individual tenants can now accurately know where the leak occurs in the pipeline. The sensors send data to the cloud which could be accessed by the ones who are investing in the services. The identified leaks could be fixed quickly which will prevent future water system failures. Repairing an underperforming machine is easier than repairing it as whole because it takes a lot of money for doing so. IoT strategies coupled with predictive analytics can foresee a system failure much before time. IoT thus alerts the water management authorities before it is too late. Accordingly, preventive measures could be taken by the businesses, organizations and industries. This way, the water management authorities can continue with their operations without any stress of machine failure and can take better infrastructure care before it fails to match the business outcomes well.
#IoT Strengthens Water Security
Technology is a blessing. But there are times when this is otherwise. Better water management could be done through connected devices in this modern industrial era. But one problem with connecting various devices to your enterprise or industrial control system is the risk of them carrying viruses and malware, says Michael Arceneaux, managing director of the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC). Just a random click on an email or a virus-infected USB stick is enough for the entire water system to pick up the malware or virus. Even when the devices are just plugged in to charge up, they can easily transfer these viruses. As viruses contain ransomware, they can destroy or simply lock up business information which invites tremendous losses. These viruses can even ‘phone home’ and can invite hackers to access business-sensitive data.
A skilled hacker who understands the water systems can easily cross the already established amounts of chemicals that are added to purify the water. The hacker can either add too much chemical to the water or can stop the required chemicals from being added. Example: If the dose of chlorine crosses the normal level, then it can poison the residents who drink the water.
With smart IoT facilities, it becomes easier to identify the presence of abnormal chemical levels in the water. Any fluctuations in the established chemical levels will promptly alert the organizations and industries for taking preventive measures.
On a concluding note…
Water is a non-renewable resource and people across the world must use it with caution. Unfortunately, individuals, organizations and industries tend to waste gallons of water daily. This happens either out of unawareness or out of carelessness. This is a matter of great concern as this indicates that the future generation will suffer acute water scarcity. To have a favorable future, it is crucial to take immediate measures on water preservation. Here, the Internet of Things (IoT) assists organizations and industries in taking effective and preventive steps to save water, access freshwater and making water available equally across the world.
With smart sensors and devices, IoT can lessen water wastage, curb excessive & unnecessary water consumption, detect leaks and help water systems to perform efficiently. Also, strengthening water security is one parameter which is winning IoT solutions for water, admiration from organizations and industries from across the world. With IoT devices and strategies, the future seems safe when it comes to battle down the water quality and water availability.
