Climate Change Consequences: Extreme Droughts and Floods
Climate change is causing extreme droughts and floods, prompting cities and towns to seek ways to manage and optimise resources. The Costa del Sol is currently experiencing an extreme drought. The key to preventing such catastrophes lies in controlling and optimising water storage and eliminating wastage.
Proposed Solutions: Digital Transformation for Water Resilience
The sustainable management of the water cycle necessitates a digital transformation. Acosol, a water supply company, is set to launch a project called “Digital Transformation for Water Resilience on the Western Costa del Sol (Agua 360)”. With a budget of 10 million euros, the project aims to save water and combat drought through new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI).
Importance of Storage in the Water Cycle
Storage is a crucial stage in the water cycle, which includes collection, treatment, storage, distribution, sanitation, and purification. In the western coast of Malaga province, the La Concepción reservoir, supplemented by various aquifers, supplies residents with water. The Junta de Andalucía aims to calculate the available resources with utmost rigour, requiring digital transformation for accurate data and effective decision-making.
Challenges in Water Reservoirs
Water reservoirs face challenges as river water transports small particles of rock and organic matter that accumulate in the reservoirs, creating large quantities of mud that reduce the reservoir’s capacity. The proposed actions will enable real-time monitoring of water abstractions from different sources.
Project Impact on the Water Cycle
The action plan proposed by Acosol affects all stages of the water cycle. The project aims to use and manage water more efficiently, maximise resource use, act quickly and effectively in incidents, and modernise data management, monitoring, and remote control systems.
Role of Digitisation and AI in Water Management
Digitisation and AI will be the main tools to control everything from storage in reservoirs to supply pipes to prevent leaks. A total of 35 specific measures will be implemented to improve the control and saving of water resources, as well as obtaining real-time data for analysis and decision-making.
Real-Time Leak Detection and Savings
The system will allow real-time leak detection to identify any possible incident or breakdown in the system and act, resulting in greater savings that are expected to exceed 5%.
