Integrated water solutions are crucial for everyone’s future, writes Chetan Mistry, Strategy and Marketing Manager at Xylem Africa.
- Summary: Civilisations grew and prospered on their ability to manage water. In the modern era, integrated water management is the best way to enhance and futureproof water infrastructure without removing established systems or breaking budgets. It’s a concept Xylem Africa calls 360 Performance, and it’s the way to secure water delivery for future generations.
- Four thousand years ago, ceramic pipes provided water to the Chinese city of Pingliangtai. The ancient Minoans built waterways in the Mediterranean region to supply their cities with clean water. Mohenjo-Daro in Pakistan has some of the oldest sewers and pipelines known to history. The Romans were famous for their mighty aqueducts—some still run today. And the Qanat irrigation canal system existed for thousands of years across Africa and the Middle East.
We can draw a correlation between water systems and the complexity of civilisations. This insight has never been more relevant than now. Much of the modern world’s growth depends on how we integrate water systems.
The modern world uses Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) to manage those requirements. IWRM acknowledges that water is a precious resource that requires innovative management. Yet the delivery is challenging. Water systems depend on hundreds of kilometres of pipelines and various pumps and storage systems. Delivery requires careful and continual planning, and mistakes can be very costly, not just in money but in human lives, as recent cholera outbreaks remind us.
Execution is one challenge, and cost is another. Sprawling water systems demand time, expertise, and maintenance. Water utilities try to manage and sweat their systems as much as possible. Yet, the more isolated and siloed these systems become, the more those costs rise and maintenance failures occur. Water utilities need better strategies to help them effectively and efficiently manage those systems.
This is the purpose behind Xylem’s 360 Performance philosophy. Breakthroughs in modern engineering deliver better equipment, smarter sensors, improved software, and more. For example, a variable-speed pump saves considerably on power and maintenance, UV lights speed up wastewater processing, and a cloud-based analytics platform can generate real-time information from performance data.
Individually, these choices are potent. But when integrated, they modernise and futureproof water management. We created 360 Performance to define this approach: what are the best ways to bring skilled people and new technologies together so they can enhance existing water infrastructure? 360 Performance doesn’t aim to replace current systems. The goal is to strategically enhance them, giving water managers access to new features and capabilities without undoing their established investments.
Integrated water management leads to substantial performance and budget improvements. It understands that water sites must operate for many decades and improve them by integrating the right services and products. It’s a strategic mindset, starting with the water site’s requirements. Use only what is necessary, and synchronise the different parts and processes into a cohesive single truth that water managers can rely on.
How do you create integrated water management for yourself or your customers? It’s a blend of expert insight and product knowledge, based on use cases from around the world. 360 Performance starts with a conversation: what are the major pain points, and how can a water integration strategy address them collectively?
This mindset has helped great civilisations grow and prosper. Today, it’s a vital part of the modern world. The best water management happens through integrated water management. Let 360 Performance show the way and help secure water for future generations.