Water infrastructure is ...

Water infrastructure is invariably the oldest municipal infrastructure -- and it is failing just about everywhere, in underdeveloped countries, developing countries, developed countries, and even advanced countries -- whether managed by private companies, municipal governments, or even national governments.

There are at least four major problems:

1. Water has frequently been abundant and cheap, so that leakage losses are ignored until either the taps stop running, a pothole/sinkhole suddenly appears in the middle of the road, etc.
2. Most municipal water systems are run by appointed bureaucrats -- frequently someone's relative -- rather than by engineers (seriously) trained in fluid dynamics and/or flow metrology.
3. Since water is usually cheap, there is little profit margin for regular maintenance.
4. Water mains are simply allowed to drip -- sometimes for decades -- as a "cost of business" until flow erosion failure finally causes major water supply disturbances.

Even in the USA, water mains lose > 20% of their input water (per AWWA), and water main failures increased by 27% during a recent 6 year period (recent comprehensive study of US and Canadian water mains by Utah State University).

How many of your have read water audits and then followed up on the conclusions that they have drawn?  Years later, virtually the only thing that has been done is to replace water main sections that have failed beyond a repairable state.

Water managers and even engineers apparently don't understand -- or are unconcerned with -- the rudiments of the basic flow metrology that would allow them to begin to track down their water main leakages at lower levels, when they can be more easily patched and/or replaced by specified areas, rather than waiting until they need to be replaced as an entire water main.  This lack of ability and/or desire is costly from the point of view of continuing loss and  then catastrophic failure.

Drought and megadrought are beginning the cause mass migrations, water wars / conflicts -- and even losses of hydroelectric generation (requiring replacement by fuel burning means). 

We need significant and rigorous management of our water main infrastructures.  It will take time, but it's necessary -- and it's already too late...  It's time to bring in scientists and engineers to manage water mains!