Hungarian-owned Waterscope Ltd, a company that supports sustainable water management, was introduced in the latest episode of former President of the Republic János Áder’s Blue Planet podcast.
Áder stated that Waterscope Ltd participated in the first Planet Budapest Sustainability Expo held in 2021, where companies offering solutions to sustainability problems were invited. his guest, Waterscope CEO Csaba Ilcsik said their participation in the 2021 sustainability expo was successful, and the company will also be present at the second expo scheduled for the end of September this year.
In the programme, Ilcsik discussed the company’s focus on water monitoring, which reduces network water losses and energy consumption. The company’s own patent is called the ‘smart hydrant,’ which allows them to collect data in places where others cannot due to lack of electricity or signal. Waterscope experts measure water network pressure, water usage, and water temperature during water monitoring, Ilcsik explained.
According to Áder, it might seem like there is plenty of water on our planet, but only 2.5 per cent of it is freshwater, and most of that is frozen or deep underground. Only 0.007 per cent is easily accessible drinking water. Ilcsik added, quoting the president, that while the 20th century was the century of oil, the 21st century is the century of water.
Ilcsik highlighted that Hungary uses about 550 million cubic metres of water annually, but due to water losses, 144 million cubic meters never reach consumers, so reducing network losses can obviously save a lot of energy.
He mentioned that Waterscope’s water network monitoring and measurement activities are built on digitalisation. A town the size of Kecskemét has 60–70 measurement points that provide data about the water network every two minutes, with artificial intelligence processing the data.
This importance of this type of monitoring is particularly obvious if we consider the enormous energy needs of the water industry. For instance, wastewater treatment in Hungary uses up as much electricity as a month’s production of one block in the Paks nuclear power plant. There is also significant energy demand for pumping drinking water from deep sources, delivering it to consumers, and maintaining the necessary water pressure. By collecting and analysing water network data, the system’s operation can be optimised, reducing water loss and energy consumption, the expert stressed.
The Blue Planet Climate Protection Foundation, of whose board the former president is the chairman, is one of the largest owners of Waterscope. The company’s offerings range from planning to customised services. Waterscope serves in 22 out of 38 water utilities in Hungary, and is expanding in several other countries as well, Csaba Ilcsik added.
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Hungarian Conservative/MTI
