SOURCE: Qualcomm
DESCRIPTION:
Having access to clean water is important and especially so when a community’s sources of water are limited. In the Yucatán Peninsula, the only source of drinking water is an aquifer system that’s highly vulnerable to contamination from human activities.
Unfortunately, the public’s understanding of water quality and what they can do to prevent water contamination has been very limited has been insufficient. Since 2019, Qualcomm Incorporated, through its Qualcomm® Wireless Reach™ initiative, Smart Water, in collaboration with the Social Intelligence Unit (SIU); the Junta de Agua Potable y Alcantarillado de Yucatán (JAPAY), Yucatán’s public water authority; Grupo LAN; s::can Badger Meter and Colectividad Razonatura A.C, has been leveraging Qualcomm-enabled technology to provide accurate and real-time data to local water authorities and community members. The City of Merida, the largest city in the Yucatán state, has benefited from improved water quality and increased awareness of water quality and community engagement.
The Smart Water program is now in its second phase and will expand to serve communities in the city of Tekax. This is possible because a broader collaboration with the City Council of Tekax, the Secretariat of Sustainable Development of the State of Yucatan, and Kanan Kab Proteccion del Mundo A.C, a community-based organization. This expansion will directly serve over 900 individuals who access water from the aquifer. Smart Water uses a 4G wireless network, smart sensors powered by Qualcomm’s wireless technology and the Dime H2O mobile application developed to continuously monitor the city’s water quality and provide water administrators and community members with instant access to accurate, real-time data. The Internet of Things (IoT) based system sends alerts to water authorities when water quality parameters are out of the normal range, enabling immediate corrective action. Through the app, real-time and accurate data is also shared with community members to increase awareness and understanding of water quality in the local community.
The program features an education campaign where community members get access to engaging multimedia educational content and a game through the Dime H2O app to understand water contamination prevention. The community members learn how to report problems, such as water leaks, how to improve water stewardship, and get access to the Water Quality Index for the aquifer system serving their communities.
The Ferias del Agua (water fairs) are conducted across Merida and Tekah to increase awareness among community members on how to preserve water resources and prevent water contamination from human activities. These educational fairs and outreach events implemented in collaboration with local community organizations include interactive activities and encourage the use of the Dime H2O app.
Early results of Smart Water show improved operational efficiencies, more effective management of water pollutants and increased public understanding about water quality:
- JAPAY personnel collected 2,000 more measurements in 80 percent less time during a three-day collection period.
- 88 percent of Water Quality Index measurements were within Mexican water quality standards.
- Nearly 100 percent of household representatives reported an increase in confidence in their water quality knowledge after participating in the water education campaign activities.
KEYWORDS: NASDAQ: QCOM, Qualcomm, water
