From the beginning of October 2024, the ERATOSTHENIS Centre of Excellence and the communities of Doros and Monagri in the region of Arkolahania will create a network that uses non-invasive technologies to detect water losses in water supply networks. The study will focus on selected areas of the communities that are facing serious water loss problems.
The project secured 51 thousand euros of funding from the European Rural Development Fund and the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, following an application submitted through the Development Company of the District of Limassol.
The collaborative network focuses on the collection and analysis of data from the pilot area of interest, which will be obtained using Ground Penetrating Radar, acoustic sensors, drones and high spatial resolution satellite imagery.
The lead partner of the scheme is the ERATOSTHENIS Centre of Excellence, which is an upgrade of the Remote Sensing and Geo-environmental Laboratory of the Department of Civil Engineering and Geoinformatics of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology of the Cyprus University of Technology. The ERATOSTHENIS Centre of Excellence aims to provide the highest quality space, earth observation and geoinformatics services at national, regional and European level.
The ERATOSTHENIS Centre of Excellence has the necessary equipment for the implementation of the project, such as spectroradiometers, acoustic sensors, ground penetrating radar, satellite image processing software and drones. The contribution of the two communities to the partnership is significant as they have a thorough knowledge of the problems facing their water supply networks.
The project aims to explore the combined use of available technologies and evaluate their effectiveness in identifying water losses. Successful identification of water loss points will lead to targeted solutions for the communities' water supply networks, enabling corrective actions to reduce water losses. The chances of identifying water losses are high and the target is considered achievable due to the expertise of the ERATOSTHENIS Centre of Excellence, in collaboration with the community councils. Finally, the project contributes to the development of water loss detection technologies, encouraging innovation and creating opportunities for wider applications.
The project also aims to promote sustainable water management and the results of the study will be presented at a briefing towards the end of July 2025. Other communities in the Arkholahania region, such as Apesia and Koilani, which are facing equally serious problems in their water supply network, will be invited to participate in the workshop. The workshop will inform the public and stakeholders about water saving and the importance of identifying and preventing losses.
