Civil Engineering nOVEMBER 2021 | Vol 29 No 10

Civil Engineering November 2021 13 and prioritisation is having low-cost, permanent sensing capabilities. Q Q The majority of leaks (70%) occur on service lines. Even very small leaks can add up to a lot of real losses if those leaks go undetected for years. Q Q Increasing pressure to satisfy customer complaints is not the solution. It only forces more water through those leaks and endangers other areas of weakness in adjacent infrastructure. Q Q Leaks change over time. Not all leaks deteriorate at the same pace. Good tracking systems can identify when they cross the threshold to a higher level of concern. Q Q A holistic approach can save more than just the cost of water. A compre- hensive approach to water operations should improve infrastructure man- agement and reduce the risk of liability for damage caused by leaks. Q Q Getting to the root of the problem involves both structural and logistical considerations related to aging infrastructure, population growth, mixed pipeline materials and other operating conditions. Q Q There are many tools and technologies on the market, each with their own advantages, operating requirements and costs. You must do due diligence before choosing any products. Q Q Use affordable sensor and transmitter units, networks and analytical systems that make it more practical to collect and analyse leak detection data as a proactive solution that improves short-term and long-term decisions for infrastructure repair and replacement. Q Q These approaches make it easier to establish Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI) and Loss Cost Rate (LCR) key performance indicators. They also enhance operational visibility, opera- tional efficiency, event management, and real loss leak management. Q Q Identify emerging problems. Permanent pipeline monitoring can identify anomalies in operating pat- terns, quantify emerging leaks as soon as they occur, and track their progress over time better than intermittent pipe inspections. Q Q Establish leak patterns for better decision making. Whatever a water utility’s priorities, better leak detec- tion and documentation provides greater insight for cost-effective decision making. Q Q Better analysis of leak frequency and severity patterns in a segment of the distribution system or by a given type or age of pipe material can support better decisions on whether to replace or repair. Q Q Certain small leaks can be repaired affordably before they grow to the point of requiring large equipment and road infrastructure repairs, but not every leak necessarily demands immediate repair. Continuous moni- toring for sudden changes in water loss rates can help determine the optimal repair time based on a utility’s unique circumstances of water availability, treatment plant costs, and capital/ operating budgets. Q Q Integrated solutions help users prioritise leak repairs by volume of loss, ease/cost of repair, risk of critical infrastructure failure, risk of ancillary damage, etc. Q Q Continuous leak monitoring makes it easier to manage concerns about potential service disruptions to critical customer locations such as hospitals, large industrial users and high-rise buildings. Q Q Extrapolate successes from the experi- ence of others. “We need to be adaptive and have an adaptive capacity. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the digital space continu- ously challenge our older ways of doing things, and we need to respond and harness new age tools and products more receptively. That is where we need to adapt continuously in this space and har- ness the benefits of smart water solutions to make our lives easier and make NRW easier to address for many municipalities,” concluded Bhagwan.