Water occupies a unique and vital role on the planet, however, a third of the world’s population lacks access to safe water. This number is expected to rise due to increases in population, industrialization, and climate change effects. The fourth industrial revolution, known as Water 4.0 or “Digital Water” is also set to transform the water sector and resolve this challenge to the survival of humankind on the planet. 

While we are familiar with data about our health, the weather, or air pollution, the concept of data on water has not yet become commonplace and many people are not aware of the exact quantity of water they use in a day. Beyond classifying water as safe or unsafe, polluted or clean, the exact values of chemical and biological norms of good quality drinking water are seldom mentioned.

Sensors which can precisely measure in real time the amount of water flowing, levels of water, or the quality of the water in terms of its physical properties, and the amount of contaminants are currently being deployed throughout the world. 

Artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning and data science can be used to convert the data from sensors into actionable insights for decisions makers.  Predictive insights from data can provide alerts when there is a leak, or the standards of water quality are being violated by pollutants, or when a pump or valve needs to be fixed, or to predict the future levels of groundwater based on past values and climatic data. 

Precise measurements and predictions of current and emerging water contaminants, such as arsenic and fluoride will enable technologies to be rapidly developed and implemented for their remediation. Water utilities such water treatment plants will be partially or completely automated using digital twin virtualization based on VR and AR and machine learning algorithms which will optimize their operations and maintenance. 

The benefits of AI in water will translate into reduced water usage and wastage, improved health as a result of more effective and targeted water-treatment strategies, and lower costs. 

Some of the areas where AI can be applied in the water are:

• Water usage and demand forecasting.
•  Maintaining compliance with water-quality standards by predicting when and where contaminant levels will exceed the norms. 
•  Detecting leakages in water pipes and pipe networks automatically.
• Water-level predictions in different types of water bodies – aquifers, rivers and lakes. 
• Condition-based maintenance of water infrastructure using AI for failure prediction of pumps and valves. 
•  Prediction of floods and droughts from rainfall, climatic, and satellite data. 
• Precision irrigation in agriculture 
• Predicting the type and location of aquifer recharges in water management schemes.

 International Centre for Clean Water (ICCW), established as a Centre of Excellence dedicated to research and development of  Clean Water Technologies and incubating startups is promoting AI in the water sector on several fronts. An initiative of IIT Madras, ICCW is funded by HT Parekh Foundation, and is the brainchild of Prof T. Pradeep, Padma Shri Awardee and Institute Professor. This 21,000 sqft-Centre has been established at IIT Madras Research Park and has seven exclusive laboratories dedicated to research on Sustainable Clean Water technologies. Hydroinformatics,  which is an interdisciplinary subject which uses water data and advanced computing technologies such as AI, blockchain, IoT, and modelling, towards managing water in a sustainable way is one of the thrust areas of ICCW . ICCW is mentoring startups AI, conducting hackathons, developing sensors for major contaminants and researching on the applications of AI, IoT technologies in water to solve real-world water problems. ICCW through its implementation strategies in water treatment plants in industry and in the community, is accelerating the onset of Water 4.0 which will lead to clean and sustainable water for all.