Water is a precious resource, yet it is lost worldwide on a vast scale. According to the World Bank, non-revenue water loss costs an estimated USD$15 billion per year. In Europe, the average water loss is 26 percent-but some major cities both there and in North America have reported leakage rates of 30 percent or more. In some lower GDP countries, utilities have reported as much as 70 percent water loss. Utility companies, needing to supply a growing population with water at a time when resource scarcity is high, face a major dilemma. By 2050, the population is estimated to grow by up to 70 percent, and water demand is projected to be 55 percent higher than in the year 2000. At the same time, four billion people will be living in water-stressed areas across the globe. One way to tackle the problem of water loss is through reducing leakage. Minimizing water loss can ultimately be achieved through effectively monitoring and maintaining the integrity of water networks.
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