Gimhae City implements AI-powered smart water management to achieve a "zero-leakage city."
The Ministry of Environment selected the aging pipeline maintenance project, investing 752 billion won to repair 74 km of the pipeline.
Gimhae City is accelerating its efforts to become a "ZERO water leakage city" by fully implementing a smart water management system utilizing artificial intelligence (AI).
According to the city on the 27th, the local water supply modernization project, which has been promoted since 2020, is nearing completion, and AI-based smart water network operation is now in full swing.
This system can monitor the entire process from tap water production to supply in real time, significantly increasing the speed of accident response and the reliability of tap water.
This system uses AI to analyze real-time flow, pressure, and quality data installed in the water supply network, automatically detecting leaks, pressure changes, and water quality abnormalities. When anomalies occur, the system immediately sends an alert to the manager. Through this system, the city is building an intelligent water supply operation system that includes automatic detection of suspected leak areas, early warning of water quality abnormalities, and leak analysis based on nighttime flow patterns.
In addition, we are improving remote monitoring and control equipment such as aging flow meters, pressure tanks, and reservoirs, and introducing IoT-based equipment such as smart meters and water quality meters to enhance operational efficiency.
As a result, the water flow rate (the ratio of revenue-generating water volume) of the business target area has significantly improved compared to the initial stage of the business, and the number of complaints about water leaks and water outages has noticeably decreased.
Based on these achievements, the city was recently selected for the Ministry of Environment's 'Aging Water Pipe Network Maintenance Project' and secured KRW 376 billion in national funding.
With a total project cost of 752 billion won, the city will renovate a total of 74.3 km of aging water pipe networks, focusing on the Buwon, Bul-am, Chilsan West, and Saengnim areas, from next year to 2031.
Through leak detection and restoration work, the water flow rate is expected to increase to an average of 85%, reducing leakage by approximately 300 million tons per year and saving 40 billion won in the budget.
In addition, we will also pursue advancements in AI-based smart water network technology, block maintenance, introduction of leak prediction and automatic diagnosis technology, and expansion of water quality and pressure systems.
Kim Jong-ho, head of the Waterworks Division, said, “With the smart water network management and local waterworks modernization project, we have laid the foundation for a transformation beyond simple pipe replacement into a smart water management city based on AI and data.” He added, “With this national funding secured, we will systematically reorganize the aging water network and complete a clean and stable tap water supply system that citizens can use with confidence.”