“We need to plan cities with smart water concepts to achieve water reliability, and affordability"
Fabián Folgar, Vice President of Sales for Latin America at Bentley Systems, has over two decades of experience advancing digital transformation in critical infrastructure. A strong advocate for digital twins and cloud-based solutions, he has also supported the integration of emerging technologies such as AI to strengthen sustainability, efficiency, and resilience. In Latin America, where water operators face pressures from climate disruption, rapid urbanization, and aging networks, Fabián has worked with utilities and governments to modernize systems and enhance decision-making. In this conversation, he highlights Bentley’s role in addressing water loss, improving resilience to floods and droughts, and enabling smarter water networks—sharing success stories that illustrate how digital tools are helping cities secure reliable, sustainable water for the future.
Bentley has supported multiple countries in their transition toward smart infrastructure. What unique challenges do Latin American cities face in water management, and how is Bentley addressing these issues?
As cities face an increasing number of challenges which put pressure on water infrastructure, such as climate disruption, urban density, and aging infrastructure assets, it is more important than ever for cities to implement digital technology to create environments that are both smarter and more resilient.
For example, in Rio Grande do Sul Bentley supported AEGEA, Brazil's largest private water and sanitation company, to enact flood response during a climate emergency in 2024. The flooding displaced millions of residents and destroyed water infrastructure across 448 municipalities in 2024. After the floods, AEGEA needed to jump into action, to locate and repair widespread damage to the state’s water infrastructure, including submerged treatment plants and broken pipelines. Using Bentley's OpenFlows Water hydraulic modeling software, AEGEA was able to more quickly manage the crisis and make critical decisions which impacted their ability to make needed repairs as soon as possible.
Through technology such as AI and digital twins, Latin American cities can better mitigate water risks
In Latin America specifically, water utilities must manage extreme weather events such as droughts and flooding, which exacerbate water scarcity, as well as account for the increased demand for water resources which comes from the region’s rapid urbanization. Through the implementation of technology such as AI and digital twins, Latin American cities can enable themselves to better mitigate the risks associated with these challenges and ensure the consistent delivery of safe and reliable water to their citizens.
Many cities in the region face water losses exceeding 40% and aging infrastructure. What specific solutions within Bentley’s ecosystem are helping improve the efficiency and sustainability of urban networks?
It is important that we do our part to help city water utilities to account for, detect, and manage water losses caused by pipe leaks, cracks, and other wear and tear their water systems may experience. This continuous effort requires the right tools to enable effective water loss management.
An example of how Bentley’s solutions have helped address water loss in aging water networks can be seen in Sabesp’s work in the Vicente de Carvalho water supply system. Sabesp is Brazil’s largest water and wastewater utility, which serves over 28 million people across 375 municipalities in São Paulo. Vicente de Carvalho, a coastal district in Guarujá with approximately 150,000 residents, faces persistent water supply challenges due to seasonal tourism surges, irregular demand, and prolonged drought conditions. These factors have contributed to water supply instability and increased operational strain.
To improve efficiency and sustainability, Sabesp implemented Bentley’s OpenFlows Sewer + SewerSight, which provided real-time insights into system performance. This enabled the utility to detect leaks and operational anomalies, resulting in a reduction of approximately 37,000 cubic meters of water per month being fed into the system, without compromising service levels. This visibility also allowed for more consistent water pressure across communities. This project demonstrates how Bentley’s digital tools support proactive monitoring, leak detection, and optimized water distribution, helping urban networks overcome infrastructure challenges and reduce nonrevenue water.
Sabesp implemented Bentley’s OpenFlows Sewer + SewerSight, which provided real-time insights into system performance. This enabled the utility to detect leaks and operational anomalies
An example of how Bentley solutions have helped improved network efficiency and sustainability by improving leak detection is in Singapore, where as a part of their Smart Water Grid (SWG) program, PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, has been continuously investing in deployment of hundreds of monitoring stations across the city’s 6,000-kilometer underground water network for over two decades. Working with Bentley, PUB has developed an integrated Anomaly Leak Finder (ALF) solution, using hydraulic models recalibrated daily with monitoring data and adaptive high-performance AI technology to generate a high-fidelity digital twin. This approach refined the digital twin, enabling engineers to model and predict flows and pressures, track the health status of different zones, continuously recalibrate and retrain the digital twin, and timely detect and localize various anomaly events, including watermain breaks and hidden leaks. This process provided valuable insight into the network’s operational health. Moreover, the Bentley-based, IoT, and intelligent analysis solution provided anomaly detection, especially for hidden leaks and pipe bursts, and located the leaks for field crews. By integrating smart technology into daily operations, this project makes Singapore’s water network more efficient, resilient, and sustainable.
How are water operators in Latin America currently using tools such as digital twins, hydraulic modeling, and predictive analytics to support decision-making?
In Latin America water operators are using digital technology to model water infrastructure. For example, Sabesp used Bentley’s OpenFlows WaterSight to create the digital twin in their work on the Integra 4.0 initiative for the city of São Paulo, where Sabesp provides water and sewerage services to over 50% of the state’s municipalities. This initiative focused on improving the water quality of the Tietê River by expanding wastewater management. On this initiative, Bentley software was used to support both planning and operations, enabling sophisticated scenario planning and water system evaluation. Using a digital twin of the water system, Sabesp was able to have a better understanding of how system expansions and changes would impact the network's performance before construction even began and proactively identify critical issues such as sewage blockages.
Operationally, using the digital twin’s real-time monitoring capabilities, Sabesp was able to continuously monitor and analyze the water system, evaluating sewage blockages and understanding system behaviour in real-time -- preventing combined sewer overflows and backflows. This proactive digital-twin enabled approach enabled Sabesp to better manage São Paulo’s wastewater and achieve their goal of improving the water quality of the Tietê River.
Can you share some success stories from cities in the region where digital transformation is already making a tangible difference?
To reduce environmental impact and support a more sustainable and economical water supply, we have an excellent example at Amagua C.E.M. in Samborondón, Guayas, Ecuador. They designed a catchment, distribution line, and treatment plant leveraging solar panels to make the project self-sustainable and reduce its carbon footprint as much as possible.
The solar energy captured by the panels power surface pumps that draw water from a river or well and pump it to the raw water tank and distribution system.The solar panels reduced dependency on fossil fuels, eliminating 6,905 metric tons of carbon emissions, a 95% reduction in fossil fuel energy used per year.
Using Bentley’s advanced 3D design and hydraulic modeling and analysis applications, Amagua reduced modeling time by 80%
Amagua used Bentley MicroStation to design the entire architecture of the system in 2D and 3D, as well as Bentley OpenFlows Water to model and analyze the pipeline arrangement of the network and estimate energy consumption costs. The advanced algorithms and 3D visualization allowed Amagua to perform digital simulations of numerous scenarios, verifying the optimization of both the existing and future distribution networks, and validating the use of solar panels as the most efficient source of renewable energy.
Using Bentley’s advanced 3D design and hydraulic modeling and analysis applications, Amagua reduced modeling time by 80%. Working in a connected digital platform improved efficiencies in data federation and data exchange processes by 75% and 80%, respectively. In addition to time, cost, and material savings, the project delivered significant environmental and sustainability benefits by reducing energy consumption and the carbon footprint of the project.
Infraweek has become a key event for digital innovation in infrastructure. What specific topics related to urban water will be featured this year, and what type of attendees can benefit the most from them?
Infraweek 2026 will spotlight how digital innovation is transforming urban water management, with a strong focus on IoT-enabled monitoring, complete network digital twins, and cross-domain integration. A key theme is the use of real-time sensor data, tracking water levels, structural strain, vibration, and seepage—for dam and reservoir safety. By integrating this data into unified platforms, operators can implement predictive maintenance, improve compliance, and mitigate risk.
Infraweek 2026 will spotlight how digital innovation is transforming urban water management, with a strong focus on IoT-enabled monitoring, complete network digital twins, and cross-domain integration
The event will also explore the creation of end-to-end water system digital twins. For the first time, utilities can connect both potable water networks, from reservoir to customer—and wastewater systems, from collection to treatment, in a single operational model. By combining historical, operational, and IoT data, these models deliver unmatched visibility, enabling utilities to reduce losses, optimize energy use, and strengthen service resilience.
From Bentley’s perspective, these advancements align with our leadership in infrastructure intelligence. Our iTwin IoT aggregates and contextualizes real-time data from SCADA, GIS, CMMS, and field IoT devices into a live digital twin, giving operators a complete, context-rich view of asset health and performance. WaterSight complements this with operational intelligence, providing KPI dashboards, anomaly detection, and actionable insights across the network.
Together, these technologies allow utilities to operate a complete network digital twin that integrates seamlessly with widely used platforms such as ESRI GIS and existing enterprise asset management tools. The result is better decision-making, faster response to issues, and stronger long-term planning.
The sessions will be most valuable for water utility executives, operations managers, dam safety engineers, smart city leaders, and engineering firms delivering digital projects. For them, Infraweek offers a clear view into how IoT, analytics, and digital twins can reshape the future of water infrastructure management.
In the face of climate urgency and demographic pressure, do you believe Latin American cities are ready to make the leap toward smart and resilient water management? What role does Bentley aim to play in that journey?
Many Latin American cities are making strides toward smart and resilient water management. By adopting digital technologies such as AI and digital twins, Latin American cities can accelerate their growth into smart cities, helping to alleviate the pressure of climate urgency, and rapid urbanization.
By 2050, 7 in 10 people globally will live in cities, increasing the pressure to manage water sustainably. We need to plan cities with smart water concepts since water safety, reliability, and affordability can only be achieved today with smart water management systems. Bentley aims to help cities manage water needs without compromising the needs of future generations, helping to design, build and optimize the operation of the region’s water infrastructure, mitigate risks associated with flooding and emergency outages, water scarcity, aging infrastructure and water loss. Leaders also are considering environmental protection, economic viability, and social equity as part of their strategy towards smart and resilient cities.