Water and climate disruption are closely intertwined. From unpredictable rainfall patterns, melting ice caps, rising sea levels and more floods and droughts than ever before – most impacts of climate disruption involve water. ¹ In observance of World Water Day 2024, let’s take a moment to reflect on this year’s theme, “Accelerating Change,” which underscores the importance of water in sustaining life, fostering healthy communities and supporting sustainability.  To better understand the urgency around this issue, consider these key facts: 

• About two billing people worldwide don't have access to safe drinkingwater, and roughly half of the world's population is experiencing severe water scarcity for at least part of the year. These numbers are expected to rise, exacerbated by the impacts of climate change and population growth . ²
• Since 2,000 flood-related disasters have increased by 134% compared with the two previous decades . ³
• Approximately 700 million people could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030. ⁴
• 1.69 billion people live without access to adequate water sanitation. ⁵
• Only 0.5% of water on Earth is usable and available fresh water - and climate change is quickly affecting this supply. ⁶

Itron is working with our customers around the world to actively tackle the water crisis head on by inventing new ways for utilities and cities to manage water with the use of intelligent connectivity, smart endpoints, analytics and services. While it is a glaring concern that over one third of utilities’ water supply is often lost due to leaking pipes, deploying solutions like advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and data analytics can help utilities swiftly identify and remedy these leaks. AMI provides utilities insights which help identify consumption patterns, leak detection and high-demand areas, facilitating processes to improve water distribution efficiency. Itron solutions significantly reduce water waste and play a vital role in turning utilities’ and cities’ water sustainability goals into reality.  

In addition to supporting our customers’ water conservation efforts, Itron actively engages with communities across the globe to improve energy-water literacy and encourage conservation. One way we approach this is through our partnership with Discovery Education, the award-winning global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning for 4.5 million educators and more than 50 million students worldwide. In 2023, Itron collaborated with Discovery Education to release Digital Lesson Bundles, which include student-focused interactive videos and activities that focus on innovation, conservation, professional mentorship and sustainable developments for the future.  

One Digital Lesson Bundle in particular, “Water Crisis: The Way We Manage Water and Energy Will Define Our Future,” aims to help students learn how our changing climate and aging infrastructure are impacting the energy-water nexus and how conservation efforts combined with the use of technology to monitor, detect and determine trends can help reduce water waste, power outages and improve access to safe and reliable water around the world. Through our partnerships and digital programs, we have successfully reached millions of students and consumers worldwide.  

The entire Itron team would like to express a sincere thank you to our customers, colleagues and industry partners for their dedication to preserving our world’s most precious resources. Through our collective efforts, we are creating healthier communities and a more resourceful world - one drop of water at a time. Happy World Water Day from Itron!