In conjunction with World Water Week, which is being held from August 25 to 30, Etihad Water and Electricity (EtihadWE) highlighted its dedicated plan to reduce leaks across its distribution network, as part of a wider Transformation Roadmap.

The plan will see advanced technology, like SmartBall and data loggers, used to alert the company to potential leaks across its water distribution network.

To complement this early leak detection technology, a plan to install more meters, and reduce the size of the area each serves, will make it easier to pinpoint where leaks are located.

As a desert nation, the UAE has limited freshwater resources, meaning it is vital that water is not wasted. An area of critical focus to ensure waste is minimised, is non-revenue water (NRW).

Non-revenue water loss refers to water that is lost before it reaches the customer. This water has already been through the process of desalination - the process of turning seawater into potable (drinkable) water- and has left the plant and travelled along pipelines towards its destination.

However, due to equipment issues, or meters giving incorrect readings, not all the water quantity and revenue benefitted.

The UAE government has implemented the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 and the Mohamed bin Zayed Water initiative to ensure the country sources and manages its water in a sustainable and responsible way.

In response to these plans, EtihadWE has taken steps to reduce NRW across its water distribution network via a comprehensive plan.

The company will introduce advanced technologies across its network in the Northern Emirates to improve its capabilities in detecting water leaks.

Data loggers, for example, will gather and record data on the flow of water, helping to identify unusual patterns in flow rate that could indicate potential leaks.

Smart Ball - a physical ball with sensors, will also be used to send information about potential leaks along the pipeline, and acoustic inspection will be used to detect leaks using sound data that shows water flowing freely vs water leaking out of a pipe.

With a vast distribution network, spanning the northern emirates, EtihadWE plans to further strengthen its response to potential leaks, by subdividing its regions into smaller areas of focus and install additional meters – a strategy called district metering.

District metering is the measurement of water flowing to a specific defined area. If the water flow increases on a specific meter, it means there is likely to be a leak.

The smaller the area of focus for that meter, the easier it is to find the possible leak, especially if it is underground.

The initiative was complemented by a large-scale smart meters rollout programme that is near completion. Smart meters are small devices in the home that will provide customers in future with live updates about the amount of water they are using.

It is an effective way of helping customers manage their consumption more responsibly and support the demand side management initiative.

Eng. Yousif Al Ali, CEO of Etihad WE said: “Our comprehensive plan to reduce non-revenue water is part of an ambitious five-years transformation Roadmap to make our infrastructure – our pipeline network, equipment, and monitoring – stronger and more efficient across the Northern Emirates.

"We plan to make significant investments to ensure we cater to the needs of our customers while working towards the goals of the UAE’s national water security and sustainability strategies.”

Eng. Abdulla Al Khemeiri, COO added: "Implementing monitoring and control technologies is essential for acquiring proactive and reliable data on loss and leakage rates.

"This is a crucial step in advancing and refining our water management systems, thereby enhancing water security.”

It is important to highlight, that it is part of the plan to merge EtihadWE’s District Metering project with its SCADA system.

The SCADA system project will bring the company’s operations across six locations together onto one state-of-the-art platform that provides information on the current state of the network in real time and includes an online leak detection system, hydraulic modelling, pressure and flow management that also will support in having effective early network leaks detection.

EtihadWE’s NRW activity forms part of its wider transformation roadmap that includes improvements to water infrastructure such as pumping stations, pipelines, processing plants and equipment, with a programme of community engagement.

Furthermore, the company also has a sustainable plan to invest in expanding the current network and replacing and rehabilitating old networks, complemented by monitoring devices.

As a result, this will contribute to supporting future growth, reducing losses, and increasing operating efficiency to manage resources and preserve water resources effectively.