OPTIMISATION OF WATER DISTRIBUTION NETWORK: A DIGITAL APPROACH

Rapid social development pollutes the environment, including surface and underground water reserves. Additionally, urbanization, population growth, climate change, and resource constraints negatively impact urban infrastructure, planning, and management. This challenges water distribution and management. With the onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there is need to understand the current status of the water distribution network (WDN), specifically digital maturity. This study aims to extract from literature, every element of a WDN, including systems and equipment, from sensors to enterprise resource planning (ERP). To comprehend the technologies and apparatus currently used to enhance water distribution management, the study uses a systematic literature review (SLR). The paper starts off with a literature review that filters relevant keywords, which are used to formulate a search string that is used in the SLR to retrieve data. The retrieved data is systematically reviewed using a two-tier qualitative analysis. First, bibliometric analysis is conducted, followed by critical content analysis. The bibliometric analysis emphasizes how closely connected WDN is to sensors, leak detection, and water quality. The 4IR systems and equipment are highlighted in the content analysis to help water utilities deal with problems like water quality and leaks.