Amid the prevalent – and worsening – water crisis and ongoing climate change in South Africa, it has become a priority to find solutions that improve water management capabilities and enable municipalities to provide better basic services and improved control over revenue.

While the Department of Water and Sanitation is focused on bringing about the realities outlined in its Water and Sanitation Master Plan, South African organisations are collaborating to create innnovative responses to the questions that climate change, water quality and water scarcity bring to the table, says SqwidNet MD Phathizwe Malinga.

He highlights the efforts by Inzalo Utility Systems, which has harnessed the intelligence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the reach of Sigfox to create a device that is focused on improving and streamlining water management.

Water Loss

The device is designed to detect leaks, manage payments, control water flow and transmit data across all types of environments.

“It is a truly smart water management device that combines the basics of prepaid water metering with flow limitation controls and water loss prevention tools,” explains Inzalo CEO Sbonelo Mazibuko.

This is critical, as 41% of municipal water does not generate revenue, while 35% is lost through leakage.

Municipalities are losing about 1 660-million cubic metres of nonrevenue water every year at a cost of R6/m3, equating to R10-billion in lost revenue each year, says Malinga.

“It has become a priority to find solutions that improve water management capabilities and allow for municipalities to provide better basic services from better control over revenue,” he says.

Inzalo is working to minimise water disruption and loss, while maximising management and revenue collection through its next-generation advanced metering infrastructure solution, AquaFlow.

The solution improves meter interrogation and service provider controls.

“It is an innovative and simple solution to some of the big challenges that government faces,” Mazibuko says, explaining that, leveraging Sqwidnet-operated Sigfox technology, which enables an open-access low-cost IoT ecosystem, AquaFlow can transmit data wirelessly to municipalities or water service provider databases and receive commands remotely.

It can retrieve accurate meter readings, transmit meter use, be configured to operate within specific parameters and be used as part of a Standard Transfer Specification-approved prepaid token system to ensure users pay for the water they use.

“By using Sigfox to communicate data and information to the municipalities or water services providers, the AquaFlow is leapfrogging existing infrastructure and connectivity limitations.

“It also keeps the costs down, as Sigfox is inexpensive and has low power demands,” explains Malinga.

The network has more than 1 000 base stations in South Africa and provides over 90% coverage across the population, helping to bypass the power limitations of infrastructure and remote locations for organisations looking to harness the capabilities of technology and IoT.

“The network is a reliable solution that plays a big role in driving IoT adoption both locally and abroad. Infrastructure “This is relevant [not only] in terms of improved water management, but also in terms of any IoT solutions that can help people and companies bypass the limitations of infrastructure and geography,” Malinga comments.

While the AquaFlow is not going to fix all the water problems that affect the country, it is a step in the right direction, he adds, concluding that it underscores the need for innovation within both the private and public sectors to find long-term solutions that can overcome South Africa’s challenges, while driving economic growth and social inclusion.