1. Aim for efficient leakage recovery
Leaking pipes and equipment, due to bursts or breaks, is one of the primary causes to water loss. When a leak occurs, it can take days, weeks or even years before it is noticed, and localising the exact area in a huge, wide-reaching network is no easy task.
2. Divide the water network into sections
Trying to cope with water losses in the complete distribution network at once would therefore also mean working in a reactive, passive manner, where activities are initiated only when a loss becomes visible or is reported.
Therefore, dividing the supply network into separate sections, also referred to as district metering areas (DMA), is an efficient technique that makes it possible to obtain a valuable overview of what is going on below the ground. Water losses can then be calculated in the sections individually, and operators are able to better plan and prioritise their efforts.
3. Quick assessment and repair
Through this separation of the network, operators can act more efficiently and target issues immediately. With quick assessment, vital resources are saved, and network activities are faster up and running, causing less disturbance for all the network customers depending on a continuous supply of water.
