‘AI-driven urban water governance is the future’

Karnataka is positioning itself arsenic a nationalist person successful artificial quality (AI)-driven municipality h2o governance, with AI and integer technologies acceptable to play a cardinal relation successful managing aboriginal challenges specified arsenic clime change, accelerated urbanisation, groundwater depletion, and infrastructure stress, Shalini Rajneesh, Chief Secretary, Karnataka, said connected Wednesday, astatine the National AI and Digital Water Summit 2026, organised by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). 

“AI and integer quality are nary longer optional tools for municipality utilities. Real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, request forecasting, and data-driven governance volition specify the aboriginal of h2o management,” she said, highlighting the increasing unit connected cities similar Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Dharwad, and Belagavi.

BWSSB Chairman V. Ram Prasath Manohar said the committee was serving much than 14 cardinal citizens.

“BWSSB has reduced Non-Revenue Water (leakage) from implicit 50% to astir 26.5%, resulting successful savings of astir 200 cardinal litres of h2o per day. AI-driven vigor optimisation initiatives person identified astir ₹42 crore worthy of avoidable yearly energy expenditure crossed pumping systems. AI is not astir dashboards. It is astir predictive governance, accountability, and measurable outcomes. We are moving from reactive operations towards intelligent inferior management,” helium said.

Tushar Giri Nath, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department, Karnataka, said exertion unsocial cannot bring astir transformative change; AI systems tin lone execute occurrence erstwhile complemented by organization frameworks, authorities mechanisms, and quality cooperation. Giving the illustration of Israel, helium said lone erstwhile governments, world institutions, startups, industries, and section bodies enactment unneurotic successful synergy, results tin beryllium achieved. 

Orli Weitzman, Consul General of Israel successful Bengaluru, said Israel, which erstwhile faced terrible h2o scarcity, overcame it done continuous technological innovation, bold authorities policies, and broad nationalist participation. “Today, Israel successfully recycles 90% of its wastewater. We person brought h2o leakages down to an implicit minimum done the businesslike usage of AI and astute h2o grids,” she said, adding Israel was acceptable to stock the exertion and acquisition with Karnataka and BWSSB, successful particular.