As telecommunications group Vodacom implements its water-saving strategies, which have reduced its water consumption by 63% since 2015, it is working to deploy its Internet of Things (IoT) technology solutions to improve water resource management across sites in South Africa, particularly in rural communities.

Vodacom introduced water-wise gardens and a rainwater harvest dam at its campus in Midrand, Gauteng, with additional measures such as the installation of timed aerator taps, which reduce water flows, as well as waterless urinals, chemical flushing of toilets and waterless hand-sanitising stations, to cut consumption.

This forms part of an overall strategy to develop new approaches to addressing the challenges faced by managers of water facilities.

“As Vodacom, we are not an intensive consumer of water, owing to the nature of our business. However, we realise that water is a scarce resource and have therefore implemented various water-saving measures, which have significantly reduced water consumption in South Africa since 2015,” says Vodacom South Africa external affairs chief officer Takalani Netshitenzhe.

“We believe that urgent and sustained action is required to protect and conserve the country’s water resources and that business success should not come at a cost to the environment. Vodacom’s water conservation programmes support our contribution to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and through our commitment to halve our environmental impact, we will help to ensure a sustainable future for all,” says Netshitenzhe.

IoT technology solutions can significantly improve water infrastructure challenges, amid increasing pressures, owing to the impact of climate change and global population growth, and mitigate water loss, while delivering enhanced water storage solutions and improving meter readings, which will drive accurate billing.

The use of technology will help drastically reduce water loss by providing municipalities with a real-time view of their water infrastructure, says Vodacom subsidiary IoT.nxt business development and sales manager Richmond Nkambule.

Faulty meters and accurate consumption can be monitored, maintenance teams can receive instant alerts through email or SMS about faults and corrective action can be taken in a very short timeframe.

Alerts include the GPS location of the meter, its status, flow rates and consumption.

“The introduction of IoT technology to better manage water infrastructure has the potential to enhance efficiencies across the entire water supply chain. Global challenges, especially around the management of infrastructure, informed the development of our solutions and we have recorded positive results with the projects already implemented,” he says.

Vodacom and IoT.nxt devised and installed two IoT technology solutions in South Africa since the start of the year to improve water resource management.

The first project rolled out at the start of the year is at a district municipality in a rural area of South Africa that provides the municipality with a real-time view of its water infrastructure.

“Our modem-driven, end-to-end software solution helps clients to implement advanced state-of-the-art analytics, revenue assurance and protection and smart prepayment to improve utilities’ operational performance,” says Vodacom Business IoT managing executive Peter Malebye.

Further, a smart water storage management solution was installed at a large pharmaceuticals company in Johannesburg to drive efficiencies, reduce risk and help create water security within its office park.

The solution provides the company with a complete view of water levels in eight water tanks and sends alarms notifying the facilities manager when water from the municipality has stopped. It also provides a complete view of the water pumps status and alerts when the pumps stop working.

“The use of technology, with other initiatives such as greater focus on the treatment and reuse of wastewater, can dramatically improve the threatened water security situation around the world. Our next focus is on solutions for agriculture, a major consumer of water globally.