Hera and the Israeli company Utilis have developed technology to find hidden leaks in water networks by scanning the soil via satellite. Thanks to this new tool, 311 breakages have been repaired in the Forlì-Cesena area. The overall estimate of the recovered volume is equal to over 1.030 million liters of water, equivalent to almost a billion bottles, or about 260 bottles for every inhabitant of Forlì-Cesena.
The satellite scan detects some elements that can be indicative, for example the possible presence of chlorine, a revealing element of drinking water. In fact, according to current regulations, the water must be added with predefined quantities of chlorine, before being introduced into the network, so that it is protected from any subsequent bacterial contamination. The data obtained through the scan is cleaned up of distorted information and cross-referenced with the scheme of the aqueduct network. In this way, a map is identified in which points of the network where there are possible losses are highlighted.
“All our systems, including the leak detection system, aim to use environmental resources consciously and to a minimum” – comments Franco Fogacci, Hera Group water director – Every year Hera invests in the planned detection of water leaks, adopting the most modern and efficient systems, including the new technology based on satellite detection, the result of collaboration and research carried out at a high international level with the company Utilis”.
