4 min read

The world is on the cusp of a water crisis. According to the UN, between two and three billion people worldwide experience water shortages for at least one month per year, and that number is growing in the face of climate change. It is critical for municipalities to find ways to optimize water usage to ensure sustainable supplies as drought, heat waves and low water levels become ever more common.

Compagnie Intercommunale Liégeoise des Eaux (CILE), the organization that sources and distributes drinking water to 800,000 people across 24 municipalities in the province of Liège, Belgium, faced this challenge head-on. Liège has been affected by climate change, including severe flooding in July 2021 that resulted in loss of life and infrastructure damage. Despite such heavy rainfalls, residents of Belgium have frequently experienced water shortages during the summer.

In part, this is because more than 55 percent of water was being lost through leaks in the pipelines that run between residences and municipal water towers – a network of about 3.500 kilometers – as well as leakages at the homes themselves. Although CILE knew the leaks existed, the organization was unable to pinpoint their exact location, undertake appropriate repairs or predict future leakage points, all because of a lack of accurate data.

The challenges of monitoring water usage

CILE turned to NTT DATA Belgium to help. The challenges were threefold:

  • address leakages at individual homes, which required the ability to detect both small and large leaks quickly to save thousands of liters of water.
  • address leakages in the pipeline, which included more than 25 percent – or 10,000,000 M3 –  of produced water leaking into the ground; and
  • develop better prediction capabilities through accurate data to optimize energy use in pumping, ensure water is used only where needed, and employ pumps where necessary.

CILE knew that it needed to introduce residential smart meters to monitor water consumption and detect overconsumption during water restrictions, provide better tracking and reduce the wasting of water and leakages at individual homes. It also knew that to detect leaks in specific locations across the pipeline by comparing water volumes at various points, it needed small distribution arrays for each water tower and section to control water distribution.  CILE also needed to strengthen its smart grid by improving its collaboration with Société Publique de Gestion de l’Eau (SPGE) to manage water pipelines connecting Belgium to Germany and the Netherlands – accurate management of bidirectional water flow is now crucial for sustainable water management due to large volumes exchanged among the countries. And, crucially, CILE had to find a way to identify which aging pipelines, prone to leaks, should be prioritized for replacement based on the volume of water lost. All of this in turn would support the long-term sustainability of the water system and ensure fewer shortages in years to come.

All of this came down to gathering better, more accurate data.

Using technology to reduce water scarcity

At the outset of this project, CILE was already participating in Liège’s Smart City program, which combines technology with initiatives aimed at prioritizing sustainable development and improving residents’ lives. One of the components of the Smart City is its LoRaWAN (an open standard that enables IoT devices to communicate seamlessly, free of any proprietary technology), and as part of this, CILE was deploying sensors and had an intelligent network in place. NTT DATA’s role involved leveraging this data for actionable insights.

Cisco Systems, Inc. assessed the network needs, and, in collaboration, the two companies deployed three gateways as a proof of concept to demonstrate sensor connectivity. NTT DATA then defined the data structure and alarm conditions before deploying 53 Cisco IXM Gateways within a secure operational technology network. These gateways gather data on water consumption, temperature, pressure and leaks. NTT DATA integrated data streams and managed the project’s five layers: sensors, networking, data, function and process.

The impact of smart monitoring

By collecting accurate data from water towers and residents, CILE can now predict future consumption and manage groundwater conservation more effectively. The smart network enables CILE to enhance water management, detect pipeline issues and automate billing. This system has made water management more visible and transparent. It allows for precise water usage tracking and automated billing, reducing reliance on estimates and manual checks.

The smart monitoring system has been well-received, with feedback leading to further refinements and increased flexibility. It also has the potential to extend beyond water utilities to other public sector applications, potentially aiding in leak detection in various scenarios, such as earthquakes.

The project was also named one of three MVP Award winners at the 2024 NTT Group Sustainability Conference Awards, cited as an exceptional project due to its outstanding contributions.

The long-term benefits of this solution are significant for many jurisdictions around the world, as water conservation is a universal issue due to the growing threat of climate change. Smart monitoring promotes water conservation, reduces energy consumption and eliminates the need for cars to be used in meter inspections. Integrating IoT devices, big data and AI can turn data into actionable insights, creating value, enabling savings and supporting long-term environmental goals.