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By Neil Strother

Pike Research

 

A recent warning about the increasing demand for water could be the needed catalyst to bring about significant change in how we manage this precious resource.  The alarm comes from a global survey of senior water utility executives, 39% of whom say the risk of national water demand outstripping supply by 2030 is “highly” likely, with more than half (54%) saying the risk is “moderately” likely.  In other words, they’re very concerned, but not panicked (yet).

 

The survey is the basis of a report from Oracle Utilities titled "Water for All?"  It was conducted among 244 executives in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, India, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.  The main barrier to meeting future water demand is wasteful consumer behavior (45%), according to the executives.  A third of the respondents (33%) say tariffs are too low to stimulate more investment, and another third (34%) cite worries about climate change as a significant hurdle.

 

Nevertheless, the challenge of increasing water demand is also a powerful motivator of innovation, the study notes.  Water utilities in both developed and developing countries

are embracing new technologies to improve efficiency.  For instance, desalination technology, network sensors and smart meters are being deployed by utilities in an effort to avoid potential water-related calamities.  (Pike Research’s Smart Water Meters report has details of some of these technology solutions.)

 

Oracle is not the only technology firm that recognizes the need for innovative solutions in the water sector.  Japan’s NEC and its Swiss partner Gutermann have moved into this space as well.  The two companies signed an agreement recently to jointly promote Gutermann’s acoustic water leak detection system along with NEC’s cloud platform in an effort to help water utilities improve efficiency.

Managing smart water systems

NEC is moving aggressively on the academic research front as well.  It has joined with Imperial College London to establish a lab for developing new technologies for managing “smart” water systems.   Researchers there will look at how technology can overcome the challenges posed by aging water supply infrastructures, making them more energy efficient and helping to reduce their impact on the environment.

 

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