In China, where the annual water deficit is over 50 billion cubic meters and the average urban water supply leakage rate is 15%, water waste is a growing social and economic concern. Last year, the Paulson Prize for Sustainable Cities was awarded to Anheng Group’s Sustainable City Water Supply Network Leakage Control Solution, which stood out for its use of cloud and big data technology to solve a common problem worldwide: urban water supply leakage.
Anheng Group’s Sustainable Solution
The Anheng project utilizes cloud and big data technology to manage water leakage control in urban pipeline infrastructure and provide safer water to China’s urban residents. It steeply reduces the amount of time required to detect leakage points, thus reducing water waste and lowering the risk of pipeline explosions. Since its implementation in Beijing’s Shijingshan District in 2012, the technology has saved the community nearly 1,000 cubic meters of water each day – equivalent to 300,000 tons annually. The expected payback period for the technology is only 18 months.
Since winning the award, the Anheng project has made great progress. After launching the call for nominations for the 2016 Paulson Prize for Sustainable Cities, the Paulson Institute spoke with Anheng CEO Wan Zhonghua to discuss the significance of the Anheng project for water conservation in China and how the Prize has helped the project increase its impact.
To submit a nomination for the 2016 Paulson Prize, please visit paulsoninstitute.org/prize.