How much dirty water gets sucked into water pipes that are only switched on for a few hours a day
- Good it would do
- 4 / 5
- Can AI help
- 3 / 5
- How neglected
- 3 / 5
- Can we check it
- 3 / 5
Why it's stuck
Nearly one billion people get water from pipe networks that are not always pressurized. A 2018 study estimated these systems cause about 4 million cases of diarrhea and 1,560 deaths a year, but said the link between pipe pressure and how much contaminated water leaks in is unknown.
What we'd try
Simulate the emptying and refilling of whole pipe networks in detail across many layouts and supply schedules, to find which operating changes cut contamination most for the least money. Check against the 2018 study's data on 334 utilities and published field measurements such as the Hubli-Dharwad studies in India.
What could stop us
Refilling models for intermittent pipe supply already exist, so the lab's value rests on linking them to contamination entering the pipes, which may be hard to check without new field data.
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