City Managers Should Join Forces with Universities to Adopt AI Technology for Urban Water Management and Water Governance

by Djoko

With the Earth's population is projected to reach 9.8 billion people in 2050, the need for clean water will certainly increase. Even more so in urban areas, in which most of the Earth's population lives.

We know that almost all of our activities require water. Without adequate water availability, we will achieve neither food security nor energy security. This means that our food and energy security fully depend on the adequacy of water.

 Almost all of our activities require water. Photo: Djoko.

Our earth actually stores water in large quantities. Water is stored in oceans, lakes, dams, rivers, the atmosphere, and in rocks deep within the Earth.

Well over millions of years, most of the water on Earth has undergone a natural recycling process. Theoretically and empirically, our planet will never run out of water. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the clean water we need to support our daily life activities, due to several factors, may not always be adequately available.

In fact, the difficulty of accessing clean water has become a global problem that now afflicts billions of Earth's population. According to the UN Water 2023 report released by UNESCO, globally, two billion people [26 percent of the Earth's population] currently do not have access to safe drinking water, and 3.6 billion people [46 percent] do not have access to safe sanitation.

UN Water 2023 says between two and three billion people experience water shortages for at least one month per year, which poses a severe risk to life, due to the impact water availability has on food security and access to electricity.

The UN Water 2023 report projects that the urban population facing water scarcity will double from 930 million people in 2016 to 1.7–2.4 billion people in 2050. At the same time, the report adds, increasing extreme and prolonged droughts will also stress ecosystems, with dire consequences for both flora and fauna species in various regions of the Earth.

Referring to a study entitled Future Global Urban Water Scarcity and Potential Solutions conducted by Chunyang et al [2021],  population growth, urbanization, and economic development are likely to make water demand for the industrial sector and urban households increase by between 50 percent and 80 percent over the next three decades.

Chunyang et al's study stated that climate change will affect the spatial distribution and timing of water availability so that urban water scarcity is likely to become much more serious in the future, with the potential to jeopardize the achievement of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs], especially SDG11 namely Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG6 namely Clean Water and Sanitation.

So far, water scarcity in urban areas has usually been addressed through the provision of infrastructure. Let’s say the construction of reservoirs, lakes, ponds, and infiltration wells to store water during periods of excess water availability so that it can continue to supply water to avoid water shortages during dry seasons.

In addition, the desalination method can also be an option to deal with the problem of water deficits in coastal cities.

While measures to conserve important water sources continue to be taken, it is also necessary to pay attention to the beneficiaries of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in an effort to ensure the availability of water in urban areas.

AI is believed to be able to offer many things pertaining to water management and water governance for urban areas. 

Water crisis will be a challenge for cities across the world. Photo: Djoko.

Here are some of the things that AI can do to help ensure the availability of water in urban areas.

First, AI can be used to analyze big data related to existing water resources and simultaneously identify patterns and trends in water use to support decision making processes and better water management in urban areas.

Second, AI can be an option to improve urban water infrastructure management and develop a more efficient urban water inspection and rehabilitation strategy. Based on statistical modelling that has been tested by Kompetenzzentrum Wasser, Berlin, Germany, it has shown that AI can be used to evaluate the ability to improve forecasting and management that supports rehabilitation planning, as well as monitoring and maintenance of water infrastructure.

Third, AI can help drive improvements in water quality by using deep learning neural networks to detect harmful particles in water. With the help of AI, drinking water can be seen at the microscopic level in real time, which will help regulatory authorities detect water contamination as quickly as possible and take the necessary measures.

Fourth, AI can help predict water infrastructure failures. Thus, it enables maintenance teams to quickly address problems before they cause other problems.

Fifth, optimizing the use of energy in the processing and distribution of clean water, thereby reducing costs and carbon emissions. The treatment and distribution of water require large amounts of energy. AI can be used to predict future water demand in the treatment and distribution chains by analyzing the water usage patterns of urban residents. AI can also be used to optimize the distribution network itself.

Sixth, AI can help us manage and prioritize water infrastructure assets, ensuring proper maintenance and replacement. Apart from that, it can also help us save water by optimizing the existence of water infrastructure and reducing water wastage.

The water crisis will be a challenge for cities across the world. And Indonesia’s cities are no exception. We must overcome this challenge through innovative solutions. It is time for city managers to start utilizing AI technology in their water management and water governance.

In this regard, city managers can invite universities that have specialized studies and AI research centers, such as Telkom University, to join forces in the use of AI in water management and water governance for urban areas.

Let's #AchieveYourBrighterFuture along with Telkom University!