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Water demand is expected to increase by 1/3 by 2050, since climate change and population growth are the main challenges for water.

Out of the global population of some 7.5 billion people, 2.4 billion currently lack access to adequate sanitation facilities, 1.8 billion people use a contaminated source of drinking water and by 2030 the global demand for water is expected to grow by 50%.

Every day nearly 1,000 children die due to preventable water and sanitation-related diseases. It is also estimated that 80% of wastewater resulting from human activities is discharged into rivers or into the sea without any sort of treatment. Clean water is at the core of sustainable development and is critical for socio-economic development, health ecosystems, and for human survival. 

Rapid population growth, coupled with an increase in wealth and dietary changes is expected to increase the global demand for water. The demand for water for domestic purposes (cleaning, sanitation and drinking) is expected to increase from 400km3 to 660-900 km3 by 2030.

 The majority of this demand will occur in cities, and as it is being highlighted in the Citi GPS report “Solutions for a Global Water Crisis,” a number of cities are already facing acute water problems. They are particularly vulnerable because they depend on the water resources from outside their city boundaries, and they face twin challenges: water that is both scarce and water that is polluted.

According to McDonald, 100 of the largest cities in the world currently occupy less than 1% of land area, however their source watersheds (i.e. rivers, forest, ecosystems) cover over 12% of land area. This is equal to approximately 1.7 billion hectares of land that collects filters and transports water to nearly 100 billion people before reaching man-made infrastructure. Cities play a significant role in the management of water, as they impact both the quantity and quality of water resources due to land use change, over exploitation of water resources and contamination. Therefore it is not only adequate infrastructure that cities need to provide, but sustainable solutions outside their city boundaries.

Infrastructure does play at important part, and in many areas, city infrastructure has not kept pace with the massive urban growth, leaving people without adequate access to clean drinking water and sanitation. The concentration of millions of people into small areas increases the stress on finite water supplies available in or near city centers.

The inadequate supply of water can cause damage to an economy. One has to just read about the water crisis in Cape Town and the effect that a shortage of water is having on the agriculture sector, on industry, tourism, and on the city’s inhabitants.

The World Health Organization estimates that the total global economic losses related to inadequate water supply and sanitation to be in the region of 0 billion annually. Climate change could also have a severe impact on water supply in many cities, in fact the World Bank ranks water supply and flood protection as one of the three adaptation costs to climate change estimated between .4 and .7 billion per year.

The Citi GPS report, “Solutions for the Global Water Crisis”, estimates that an infrastructure investment of .5 to .7 trillion is needed globally to upgrade, maintain, and build new infrastructure.

Smart Water 

Smart technologies are also revolutionizing the water sector. There are several Smart Water Management tools that are available on the market including smart metering, remote monitoring (SCADA), geographical information systems, and telecommunications systems which allow for the provision of real-time data and therefore real-time improvements to systems. Examples of such applications include WaterWiSe which has currently been deployed by the Singapore Public Utilities Board to monitor online hydraulic and water quality parameters, to detect leakage remotely, and to assimilate real time data into hydraulic models.

K-Water- a company in South Korea has been embracing smart water technologies for a number of its projects (see section on water). K-Water has developed a smart water technology system that includes a core set of integrated smart technologies that are included in the whole process of the water cycle. The company is currently using its technology to help improve water usage in a number of different countries.

Libelium’s “Smart Water IoT Solution Quick Report,” summarizes all the benefits, advantages and the most demanded features that stakeholders look for. This report shows how the Internet of Things can help to improve water management issues such as consumption, water usage improvement and cost reduction.

 

Libelium recently launched the new model of IoT platform for Smart Water quality control:Waspmote Plug & Sense! Smart Water Xtreme. The enhanced device includes top market performance sensors from the most prestigious manufacturers for applications such as potable water monitoring, fish farm management, chemical leakage detection, remote measurement of swimming pools and spas, and seawater pollution.

According to ITU research, “WorldWaterDay: How ICTs are creating smart water and sanitation systems,” information and communication technologies (ICTs) are revolutionizing the management of water resources and may be instrumental in the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for clean water and sanitation (SDG 6). ICTs and smart water management (SWM) systems are being applied to a variety of development projects for water management and sanitation.

For example, satellite remote sensing of groundwater in Somalia allows researchers to accurately gauge water quality. In Kenya, real-time monitoring of communities reveals their sanitation status. And in South Africa, online data collection allows community-based NGOs to forecast the level of rivers and to identify new sources of fresh water. Additionally, smart water meters can provide individuals, businesses and governments with information about their own water use.

“ICTs are helping on all sides, the providers as well as the consumers. For example, by better monitoring and managing water losses and by giving consumers better ways of reporting water quality or quantity problems,” says Carolien van der Voorden, Senior Programme Officer, Learning and Documentation, Global Sanitation Fund, Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC).

For example, the Ministry of Health in Kenya has implemented a Real Time Monitoring System for Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), an online monitoring and evaluation system to track sanitation levels and progress toward their Open Defecation Free Mission. The Somalia Water and Land Information Management (SWALIM) project developed by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has also developed sophisticated systems for monitoring surface and groundwater to support sustainable development of the scarce and valuable water resources in the country.

Advanced monitoring allows for better planning and management, especially during cycles of drought and flooding.

According to ITU’s report, ICT as an Enabler for Smart Water Management, a number of factors are impacting the delivery of already scarce fresh water to millions of people. “Economic growth, changing climatic conditions, rising population and urbanization are all affecting availability of water resources. Moreover, a number of effects linked to climate change, such as lengthy droughts and extreme weather events, are worsening the situation.”

Despite current efforts for water recycling or treatment, it is estimated that over 80% of the wastewater generated by society flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused. ICTs could prove to be effective in the treatment and recycling of wastewater and key to tackling the world’s water scarcity crisis.

ITU’s Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities has identified key trends in urban smart water management, including ICTs for managing wastewater. For example, in Holon municipality in Israel, the sewage system was plagued with problems such as frequent blockages and overflows. By installing gauging devices equipped with sensors, the municipality was better able to manage its sewer systems and now receives reliable information to monitor its sewer system using a web platform, and sends alerts via short message service (SMS) messages when the level reaches low/high limits.

The Netherlands is leading solutions for wastewater treatment through large-scale private-public investments. The Dutch water management authorities recognize the need to draw together economists, engineers and climate scientists to work together to solve the issue. The Dutch government has promoted effective collaboration among stakeholders though a coordinated Delta Programme, to effectively manage freshwater supplies in the country.

While countries and municipalities are leading investments and projects to sustainably manage water resources, it cannot be overstated the importance limiting, reusing and recycling water usage at the individual level. With new technologies like smart water meters and apps to monitor home usage, ICTs are enabling individuals to better manage their own water use.

Green Infrastructure: A Case Study of Portland

Green infrastructure is a potential solution that could save city money. In Portland, Oregon water quality in the River Willamette had deteriorated dramatically due to frequent spills from the overloaded sewerage network. In 2002, Portland experienced 50 overflow events, discharging around 13 million m3 into local waterways. The choice faced by the city was clear: it could invest in expanding the below ground pipe network by building more grey infrastructure, or it could look upstream and attempt to take water out of the system at the source. This was the basis for the city’s successful Grey to Green initiative. The city budgeted million in stormwater management fees to invest in green infrastructure over 5 years, adding over 100 hectares of eco-roofs, installing 920 green street components, planting over 80,000 trees in yards and along streets and buying over a 1000 hectares of high priority natural areas. Its downspout disconnection program disconnected more than 56,000 downspouts from over 26,000 properties within the

Combined Sewer Overflow area, allowing more than a million cubic meters of stormwater to infiltrate into the ground annually. 

The city has installed street gardens in curb extensions and flow tests have shown these can reduce peak flow from a 25 year storm event by 88 % — enough to protect local basements from flooding and reduce total runoff to the combined sewer system by 85%. The city estimates that resolving flooding and other problems caused by runoff in the region using only conventional infrastructure and pipe solutions would have cost an estimated 4 million, compared with an estimated million using largely green infrastructure. Such measures also provide benefits in terms of enhancing water quality, providing amenity and recreational spaces, adding to urban biodiversity and providing other functions such as carbon sequestration and pollutant trapping on leaf surfaces.

Zero Waste Cities

The city of Ljubljana is committed to the zero waste initiative and aims to increase separate collections to 78% by 2025, reduce total waste generated to 280 kg per inhabitant and reduce yearly residual waste to 60 kg by 2025. Ljubljana is not alone; the city of San Francisco is also working to achieve zero waste by 2020.

It has successfully diverted 90% of its waste from landfills through a number of easy initiatives such as an easy-to-use three bin system for waste, economic incentives for households to recycle and compost more, policies that promote zero waste goals, and extensive education for its residents and businesses about recycling and composting. The costs for their zero waste program are funded solely from the revenue generated through collection rates charged to customers. 

Effective and sustainable waste management is a huge challenge for many cities.

Different cities have different challenges they need to overcome with regard to managing their waste effectively. Ultimately, waste should be viewed as an important resource rather than a problem that needs to be dealt with. Organic waste could be turned into high quality compost, while inorganic waste could either be recycled and reused, or used to create energy, while also providing additional benefits to residents in the form of work opportunities and a better livelihood. Developing a source of revenue from organic waste, can create revenue streams for a company, reduce costs for the disposal of waste for the city and at the same time create a very good product for farmers. Disposing of waste into landfills should be seen as a last resort as it is the least effective way of managing waste and is costly. 

A rapid surge in population in many emerging and developed cities will undoubtedly increase the amount of solid waste that is generated. With the right approach and strategic planning many waste streams can become income streams.