Abstract
Introduction: The dynamicity and complexity of water distribution networks
(WDN) in cities and metropolitan areas are considered sophisticated because of
increasing demand for potable water, urbanisation pressures, dilapidated infrastructure,
climate change, and declining water resources. For the sustainability
of the operations and management of WDN, water utilities, in the Global South,
need to embrace the adoption and digitisation of tracking, controlling, monitoring,
and automation of WDN processes, to aid in data gathering, processing,
and analysis of the characteristics and transmission of events. The objective is to
assess the roles, opportunities and challenges of deployment of IoT solutions in
management of non-revenue water (NRW) in WDN.
Methods: The application of IoT solutions in the management of NRW in a WDN
was reviewed. A mixed-method approach was adopted by integrating scientometric
and qualitative analysis in the application of IoT in a WDN.
Results/ key findings: The results show that water utilities incur significant
revenue losses due to NRW emanating from aks, theft, intrusion, etc. The use of
the Internet of Things (IoT) in the energy industry has proved efficient and
successful, although its application in the water sector has not received much
traction, with limited research being conducted.
Conclusion: Deployment of IoT solutions for manoeuvring and minimising
NRW and other forms of water loss is recommended. IoT solutions may help
water utilities improve their operations and management of WDN and eventually
minimise NRW.