The implementation of digital metering systems are the conduits for data that will lead to better billing, management and insight, opening up an opportunity for South African municipalities to tackle the significant challenge of nonrevenue water, says global water technology company Xylem.

About 41% of municipal water in South Africa is wasted, higher than the average of 35% and the global best practice of 15%, with nonrevenue water costing municipalities R9.9-billion each year.

“Nonrevenue water occurs for a number of reasons, such as leaks and wastage, but a significant portion happens through poor metering and billing practices,” says Xylem Africa strategy and marketing manager Chetan Mistry.

“Municipalities lose a tremendous amount of money just because bills are incorrect. That leads to lost income, and it also erodes support for the municipalities. But the situation also provides a great opportunity when you factor in technology solutions such as automated meter reading and smart meters.”

Manually collected or self-reported data from water meters can lead to many errors that create backlogs and blind spots that reduce revenue.

“Even if a municipality has a reasonably good capturing process, it is likely inefficient and hides opportunities for even greater returns,” Mistry comments, noting that digital reporting systems, such as automated meter reading, mobile meter reading systems and advanced metering infrastructure, can significantly reduce the cost and time of capturing meter data.

Such systems also significantly improve accuracy, leading to better returns and more satisfied customers.

Automatic meter reading is advantageous for many municipalities to start creating digital billing and analytics without requiring significant changes to underlying infrastructure or processes, while the use of mobile meter reading systems enables an agent to collect meter data wirelessly by using a handheld device or an equipped vehicle driving in the proximity of the meters.

The data collection is streamlined through a wireless connection, with accurate results suitable for analytics.

For densely populated areas, high-volume customers with fluctuating water demands or for areas requiring nuanced water monitoring, Xylem suggests the use of advanced metering infrastructure networks, which boasts real-time data and automated controls for municipalities, enabling them to react to water events in real time.

Overall, he says that, with technology, municipalities can reduce their error rates while optimising their infrastructure and practices, using data analytics to discover improvements and hidden revenue.