Digitalization is transforming the way water and wastewater utilities plan and manage their infrastructure and interact with their customers and their staff. Globally, digital technologies have been playing a role in resource efficient water management for some time, including in the management of water losses and the energy efficiency of utilities. Digital applications have been developed for customer engagement, leak detection, pressure management, energy efficient pumping, energy management and wastewater treatment.

This document addresses these differences, from tariff structures to levels of water losses, and identifies opportunities for digitalization in resource-efficient water management that can work especially well in EMDEs. It also discusses some digital applications that are already in widespread use in high-income countries, but due to economic, technical or other factors are not currently suited to the needs of EMDEs.