Given the growing threat of drought to a growing number of the planet’s inhabitants, being able to develop more efficient use of water will undoubtedly help reduce the negative effects of this problem.
According to the United Nations, that phenomenon may be starting to manifest itself now in the form of lower water levels in reservoirs and lower crop yields.
In fact, the report, A Global Portrait of Drought, warns that the problem is “an unprecedented global emergency, and the devastating effects of human-induced drought are just beginning to emerge.”
This same report points to the fact that Europe has not suffered a drought as severe as 2022 in 500 years, and that if a global drought were to occur, 170 million people would suffer from extreme drought. It provides a lot of data to understand the scale of the drought. Average temperatures will rise 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and 50 million degrees warmer than expected if warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Technologies such as big data can help with the goal of increasing the efficiency of water management.
Water cycle integrated management technology
Technologies such as big data, IoT, and artificial intelligence aimed at managing the water cycle can improve management, ensure better collection, treatment, and use, and even provide more information about water consumption. can increase consumer awareness.
It is estimated that technologies such as big data can save up to 20% of water in the agricultural sector. This number could double if the data collected were per plantation rather than per zone. This is because the larger the area, the greater the inaccuracy.
Solutions for digital transformation of the water cycle
As mentioned earlier, technological advances such as the Internet of Things and big data serve the purpose of improving this management. To achieve this objective, Telefonica has a range of solutions to optimize the digital transformation of the water cycle.
- Supply network monitoring. Regardless of geographic or organizational distribution, remote monitoring and control of your infrastructure is critical.
- Digital twin for scenario simulation. Virtual models provide details of transmission and distribution networks.
- Customer portal for centralized services. Viewing, billing and collection management services are used to manage incidents that may occur.
- Define patterns and make predictions. By measuring the data collected through sensors, you can learn what’s behind the measurements and identify new situations. Similarly, consumption patterns can be defined and demand forecasted.
- Leak detection and early warning. Detecting network abuse and hidden leaks also helps streamline management. The aforementioned warning systems serve both to provide actual information and to predict future actions based on previously collected data.
- Sewer monitoring. Monitoring your sewer network can speed up decision-making regarding spill and blockage detection.
- Water treatment plant monitoring and water quality management. Remote monitoring of sewage treatment plants can not only detect pollution loads that may be present in the water, but also help improve management efficiency.
conclusion
To minimize the effects of drought, we need to develop more efficient water resource management. Technologies such as big data can go a long way in achieving this goal.
It can also help instill in the population the importance of minimizing waste, something as simple as knowing more about the consumption of this precious resource and encouraging them to reduce such waste.
Raising awareness about the importance of water resources, for example by commemorating Water Day, also raises awareness of the problems that can arise from water scarcity and misuse.
