EU project WADI kicks-off in Milan: airborne detection solutions to reduce losses in water transmission systems
In some parts of Europe, as much as 50% of water resources are being lost before they reach the tap, a circumstance which could easily worsen if reliable and innovative solutions are not deployed. Water has become an increasingly scarce natural resource: currently, 60% of European cities over exploit their groundwater resources while 50% of wetlands are endangered. A multidisciplinary team of 12 partners from six EU countries (Italy, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal and Poland) are now working together to address this urgent challenge, bringing in their know-how, knowledge and long-term expertise. WADI is an innovation action addressing the H2020 challenge of building water and energy efficient and climate change resilient society. The project aims at reducing losses in water transmission systems, decreasing the related energy consumption and integrating an efficient concept of ecosystem service in water management. WADI will develop an airborne water leak detection surveillance service combined with optical remote sensing to provide water utilities with adequate information on losses in water infrastructures in rural areas. WADI’s innovative technologies will be applied in two pilot sites in France and Portugal, with the target of recovering up to the 50% of the current water losses, cutting by half the corresponding energy consumption required for water pumping. WADI embarks on a three and a half year period and aims to extend this approach also to other applications in the domain of water resources management, such as dikes surveillance, wetland restoration and emergency management in case of disaster.
Countries
Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal