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Water Industry urged to to build resilience
The water industry should continue to embracenewways of working in a Covid-altered world and seize the opportunity to affect permanent change, a group of industry professionals heard. James Hargrave, regional operational leakage manager at Anglian Water, urged water utilities and suppliers not to aim to return to business as it was pre-pandemic, but to build on the success already achieved through the use ofnewtechnologies andworking practices. He was speaking during awebinar on 6August hosted by asset management and network monitoring technology specialistsOvarro, about the impact ofCovid-19 on thewater
industry.The event, attended by 55 people, looked at the key challenges the sector has faced and howit looks now, six months into the pandemic. Hargrave said he was“in awe”of theway companies had adapted and were able to continue day-to-day operations while also dealing with complex issues including preparations for Brexit and theUK’swettest February on record, which have been followed by spring and summer heatwaves and unprecedented surges in demand forwater. He said:“Future resilience is somethingwe nowneed to think about, but it’s really important as an industrywe don’t think about what’s ‘back to normal’, but howwe can use this to be agile and think differently.” He added that water companies should nowbeworking closer than ever with the supply chain to expand use ofnewtechnology and build capability within the sector. It was the use of data-led technology, such as smart meters and remote sensors that ensured Anglian was able to continue its leak detection programmethroughout lockdown, Hargrave said. “One of the biggest things that affected our ability to react to leakage was our smart metering programme. It gave us real data that showed the real-time change in consumer behaviour patterns, soweweren’t responding to false alarms on leakage, and aswe expand our remote sensing network,we have the ability to maintain leakage control and investigation without having to flood the streets with technicians.” Hargrave ended his presentation by saying the industry also has an opportunity to engage more closely with customers on areas such as water use. He said:“Whenwe think about our customer base and how behavioural change has been implemented through the lockdown phases, driven by the government, those behavioural changes will now last a long time.We should strike while the iron is hot with regard to consumption and conservation of water and trying to influence customer behaviour, because people are out there with a more open mindset nowand are more open to influence.” Thewebinar also heard fromJimMarshall, senior policy advisor and Covid-19 operational advisor atWaterUK,whogave an overview of howthe sector had successfully continued to provide essential services, and support customers, during lockdown. He said the sector had received good feedback fromthe government and regulators but also warned of likely risks still facing the industry: “We’re in this for the long-term and that’s challenging us inmanyways. In addition,we’re looking into winter,we’re thinking about second waves, about thirdwaves potentially; there’s seasonal flu and also the regular industry incidents that happen over winter, such having a really sharp cold
snap.To top it allwould be if the transition period out of the EU ends without a deal. “In summary, there has been lots of goodwork done, lots of lessons
50 drain TRADER | September 2020 |
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Jim Marshall, Water UK and James Hargreaves, Anglian Water
learned andwe are nowplanning for risks emerging over the next six months.” Thewebinar was the first in a series of events planned byOvarro throughout 2020, with the aim of bringing the utilities and supply chain together to discuss key issues. Thanking particpants, Kevin Brook,UKsales director andwebinar host, said:“We have had some fascinating conversationswithwater company clients during theCovid-19 crisis about expected and unexpected challenges the pandemic has presented.We thought it would be valuable to provide a platform for industry experts to share their insights and guidance, sowe can all learn fromeach other about tackling crises and further future-proofing our businesses. “Itwas useful to hear howour industry peers have risen to the challenge and also their expert views on what lies ahead, howwe should all be preparing for future challenges and hownewtechnology must play a part in building greater resilience.”
Latest learnings from theWater Action Platform
Assessing risk and determining responses to Covid-19 were major themes of the most recent Water Action Platform webinar which took place on 9 July. Here are six key learnings from the interactive event which was hosted by Isle chairman Piers Clark.
1. Expect seasonal resurgence of Covid-19
Recent research shows thatwe can expect resurgence ofCovid-19 due to seasonal fluctuations. In an interview on theWaterAction Platform webinar on 9 July, hydrologist FernandoMiralles-Wilhelm, Chair and Professor at University ofMaryland said research into the environmental conditions needed for virus outbreaks to“explode” showed the sweetspot for temperaturewas between 5-11oC and for relative humidity, between 40-70%. He also explained that this information is not yet included in predictive models.
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