Following a year of unprecedented water demand across the UK, Northumbrian Water is using its very own Innovation Festival 2021 to help find solutions to problems surrounding water scarcity and demand.
The water company is joining forces with partners from Morrison Water Services and CK Delta to explore what can be done to reduce the effects of high water demand as the impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly visible.
At the festival, which will take place between 18th - 21st October, there will be sprints and hacks where innovators from all over the globe will come together to look at problems such as tackling leakage and making water resources more resilient.
This comes after the water company saw record levels of demand due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the sprints will focus specifically on how water resources and supply teams can better predict demand requirements from day to day and provide clearer visibility of when increased demand will hit certain regions.
Another of the sprints will look at creating a proactive approach to avoid leakage from a clean water network.
Angela MacOscar, Head of Innovation at Northumbrian Water, said: “Across the UK during the pandemic, we saw water usage accelerate greatly – with people holidaying and working from home.
“So, along with our fantastic sponsors, we will use this as an opportunity at our festival to explore what we can do to mitigate the water supply vs demand issues that we might see in the years to come, and how we can work smarter to ensure there is enough water to go around.
“The sprints will be a great way to gather thoughts and ideas from some of the best minds in the industry, and I can’t wait to see what sorts of solutions our teams come up with.”
The Innovation Festival is taking place on October 18-21, and registration is now open. To register, go to - www.innovationfestival.org/the-festival/