Field Sites
Context: Rundu is one of the fastest-growing towns in Namibia, grappling with increasing demand for water amidst limited infrastructure upgrades.
Challenges: High Non-Revenue Water (NRW) rates of 20%–45%, ageing pipelines, broken gauges, and illegal connections.
Site Features Visited: NamWater Pump Station, Andreas and Donkerhoek Water Towers, Nkarapamwe Scheme, and Tutungeni Industrial Area.
Innovations and Interventions:
- Detailed water infrastructure survey.
- Design of AI-powered leak detection and automated reporting systems.
- Smart water meter pilot for revenue enhancement.
- Procurement planning for IoT hardware.
Context: A growing urban area with relatively stronger governance and partial adoption of smart practices.
Challenges: Pressure regulation inconsistencies, limited monitoring tools, and underground leaks.
Site Features Visited: Key water distribution points and upgraded pipe network segments.
Innovations and Interventions:
- Finalisation of IoT pilot site selection.
- Introduction of predictive maintenance through AI modelling.
- Collaboration with local engineers for infrastructure mapping.
- Integration of findings into the council’s development plans.
Context: Capital city with the most advanced water management systems in Namibia, yet under immense stress due to urbanisation and sprawling informal settlements.
Challenges: Rapid population growth, ageing infrastructure in older suburbs, informal water access gaps.
Potential & Assets: Existing smart water management systems, strong institutional frameworks, history of drought resilience planning.
Innovations and Interventions:
- Pilot expansion of AI and IoT tools for smart metering and real-time consumption analytics.
- Community-focused water awareness campaigns.
- Integration with digital dashboards for public engagement.
- Use case development for replication in secondary cities.