Page 27 - NYY Muscat Call 2022 April 24

death of corals, subjecting large parts of sea-life to growing stress and threatening their
existence. Endless and irresponsible emissions of pollutants by maritime industry, the
desalination industry in the form of brine, and so forth, deplete life across widening areas.

Technology offers distinct opportunities to counter outstanding issues. IoT, for instance,
enables measuring and effectively organising and administrating access to water, as well as
controlling and addressing quality issues. Even more so, it brings the potential to empower
those in greatest need to be informed and engaged in relevant associated management
processes.
At the Global Forum, Santucci took stock of rich opportunities for how to proceed, in support
of increased relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and economy along the smart water value

chain. Expanding on his presentation, examples span:
Consumption - easy data collection via LPWAN;

Utilities – simplification of managing water distribution;

Regulation – use of smart water meters and other sensors for enabling measurement of
regulated Key Performance Indicators, not necessarily set jut by local regulators but with the
scope for co-creation – constituting ambitions and initiatives agreed within the water market;

Security - the information transferred back and forth from the sensors and meters to utility
companies must be secure, calling attention to cybersecurity education and practices;

Privacy - utility companies gathering personal information on customers may be tempted to
use it to alter pricing, or for other proprietary purposes, calling for reforms in data governance
end innovation to enable user-centric data control;
Cost - even as IoT becomes more affordable, it is still cost-prohibitive for smaller utilities,
resulting in unfair competition and calls for clear communication on the importance and
benefits of IoT integration); ‘

Timely Upgrades - since access to water must be ensured every day, even for brief periods of
time, utilities should be incentivized to take the time, irrespective of market conditions, to
maintain and upgrade their water distribution systems.

We are living in a world witnessing increasing gaps between the promises of new solutions
and the actual clean water accessibility of countries and communities facing severe water
stress. While populations increase together with consumption, communities bare an
increasing need for steady, quality, equitable, and affordable clean water. Technology offers
the tools, but resources, awareness creation, and participation must follow.

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