{"id":25561,"date":"2018-03-27T08:49:09","date_gmt":"2018-03-27T06:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/waternet-el-internet-de-las-tuberias-2\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T00:05:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T23:05:22","slug":"waternet-the-internet-of-pipes-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2018\/03\/waternet-the-internet-of-pipes-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Waternet, the Internet of pipes"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are slowly changing the way we think about water. From a scarce resource<\/em> to a valuable resource<\/em>. Because water isn\u2019t scarce. What\u2019s more, we live on the planet of water<\/strong>. It\u2019s in rivers, seas, the polar ice caps and the atmosphere, as well as in all living things.<\/p>\n

However, bad practice in the way we look after it has resulted in water not always being available for consumption, or in it being polluted. Which poses a danger both for us and for all the ecosystems on Earth, upon which we depend.<\/p>\n

Closing the tap while brushing our teeth, having short showers or eating more vegetables are practices which reduce our individual water usage.<\/a> But what happens at city level? How is water controlled so that not a drop of this precious element is lost? Read on to learn about Waternet, the Internet of pipes<\/strong>, the smart city<\/em> solution to save water.<\/p>\n

Water is a valuable resource<\/h2>\n

As we said at the start of this article, water is a valuable resource<\/strong>. Clean drinking water isn\u2019t just a basic requirement for human life. It\u2019s a requirement for life as we know it. All animals, plants and fungi use water to stay healthy and alive.<\/p>\n

According to the World Health Organization<\/a>, we have made great progress in taking water to those who need it. In only 25 years (from 1990 to 2015), 2.6 billion people throughout the world have gained access to drinking water. The world population with access to an improved water source has increased from 76% to 91%. It\u2019s an unprecedented achievement in world engineering.<\/p>\n

\"agriculture<\/a>

Source iStock<\/p><\/div>\n

However, many millions of people are still exposed to dirty water, which causes diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio, amongst others. Moreover, the fact that we can take drinking water to the entire world population does not necessarily imply that we also take better care of it.<\/p>\n

In cities especially, there is a tendency to waste water as if it cost nothing.<\/p>\n

Leaks, one of the main causes of water wastage<\/h2>\n

In urban areas, especially those without passive water recovery systems, water leaks<\/strong> represent one of the main causes of loss of this valuable resource. Leaks arise for many reasons, as detailed below:<\/p>\n

Pipes are pressurized<\/em>. <\/strong>Most drinking water pipelines are under high pressure. Unlike pipelines used by earlier civilizations, such as the Romans, our pipes use pumps to create pressure, so that we don\u2019t need to depend on gravity (as did aqueducts and canals). Which means that pipes can burst if they are not properly designed. But they can also burst if they are old or affected in any other way.<\/p>\n

Tree roots<\/em><\/strong>. It has recently been discovered that the reason why trees direct their roots towards pipes isn\u2019t because of moisture from the pipes, but because the roots use the sound of water<\/a> to locate the pipes. As a result, many tall trees have a large proportion of their roots wrapped around pipes. As they grow, the roots damage the pipes, causing them to crack.<\/p>\n

\"Illustration<\/a>

Source iStock<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Freezing<\/em>.<\/strong> A factor to consider in cold areas is the increase in pressure inside the pipes caused by ice. With sudden temperature drops, water tends to expand.<\/p>\n

Nearby construction works, accidents<\/em>. <\/strong>The human factor is, of course, ever present. Calculation errors when interpreting the plans of piping under a road, for example, or plans not being up-to-date, cause many water cuts. Fortunately, though, these are easy to locate.<\/p>\n

A high water flow<\/em>.<\/strong> Because water flows at high pressure within the pipes, when a pipe bursts, vast amounts of water escape at great speed. Sometimes a burst pipe can look like an improvised fountain, giving rise to enormous waste:<\/p>\n