Ageing pipelines in cities often experience pressure fluctuations that can lead to bursts and costly repairs. For municipalities in South Africa, maintaining the integrity of water infrastructure is becoming more and more urgent amid rising demand, non-revenue water losses and climate uncertainty.

Global sensor manufacturer VEGA Instruments is responding to this by designing its sensor technologies and automated monitoring systems to play a growing role in helping utilities detect risks early and maintain stable supply.

VEGA Instruments and VEGA Controls group marketing manager Miguel Petersen says urban water networks are under pressure, both literally and figuratively.

“Ageing infrastructure, loadshedding and fluctuating supply patterns mean that traditional monitoring methods are no longer sufficient,” he tells Engineering News.

One of the biggest limitations faced by many municipalities is the reliance on manual monitoring of water levels and system pressure. These checks, usually only performed during scheduled inspections, typically do not catch sudden drops in pressure or unexpected overflows early enough to prevent water loss or infrastructure damage.

VEGA’s approach has focused on moving toward continuous, real-time measurement through a combination of radar, pressure and point level sensors. Products like the VEGABAR 30 and VEGABAR 82 series are used to monitor pressure fluctuations in pipelines and storage reservoirs. The VEGAPOINT 21 serves as an overflow detection device, while the VEGADIS 81 enables centralised monitoring.

Petersen says this technology “allows utilities to spot abnormalities before they escalate”.

Real-time alerts generated through sensor networks give operations teams the chance to act before disruptions occur.

Aside from early warning, continuous pressure and level monitoring data can help improve long-term infrastructure planning. Accurate data on water consumption, pressure stability and storage levels help municipalities prioritise repairs, reduce losses and allocate maintenance budgets more effectively.

For example, pressure sensors can detect recurrent low-pressure zones, which are a common precursor to leaks, enabling targeted pipe replacement. Level sensors in remote reservoirs or bulk storage tanks offer insight into demand cycles, improving pump scheduling and reducing unnecessary energy use.

As Petersen explains: “When systems are equipped with sensors that feed into Internet of Things and supervisory control and data acquisition platforms, utilities get a complete picture of their networks, from consumption trends to maintenance needs.”

He says that VEGA’s instruments support a range of communication protocols, which makes integration with most existing supervisory systems straightforward. This flexibility is essential in resource-constrained environments where full system overhauls are not always feasible.