Puglia put digital leak detection to work across 4,000 kilometres

What happened

An official European Union adaptation case study documents a control room launched in 2024 and about 19,174 acoustic noise loggers operating across roughly 4,000 kilometres of Acquedotto Pugliese's water network. On one 12-kilometre line, hydrophone and in-pipe inspection identified six leaks later confirmed in the field.

Why it matters

This is operating water-security adaptation in a drought-exposed region, not a proposed technology. The public evidence does not provide an independently verified network-wide reduction in water loss, and the million-meter replacement program and additional water-reuse capacity should not be described as completed savings.

What to watch

• Independent measurements of non-revenue water, repair times, energy use, and operating costs across the full network.
• Completion of smart-meter replacement and verified operating results from planned water-reuse facilities.

Sources & evidence

• Digital transformation of water management boosts climate resilience in Puglia Region, ItalyOfficial EU Mission on Adaptation case study, published February 26, 2026. Operational details and performance claims are reported by the public utility and case-study authors; no independent network-wide before-and-after evaluation is presented.
• Puglia water-network adaptation case-study PDFOfficial downloadable case-study record with the operating and planned measures separated.

Topics

• Water Security
• Leak Detection
• Climate Adaptation
• Digital Infrastructure
• Drought Resilience