A study on Sustainable Water Management Systems in view of UN SDG 6 centering advanced ICTs

Implementation of advanced Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in water-reliant process industry to effectively practice Sustainable Water Management (SWM) is a rising global issue mainly due to the population growth and ageing of infrastructures. Global manufacturers such as food & beverages, textile fabrics, and pharmaceuticals consumes high amount of raw water and energy in their production processes such as fabricating, washing, diluting, producing medicines, and more alike industrial operations. For this, a new generation of innovative analytical tools offer wide range of opportunities to address these challenges and to transform raw data into actionable intelligence at both the tactical and strategic levels. This research is focused towards addressing three core objectives. First, to critically review the potential of emerging advanced ICT tools in water-reliant manufacturing sector. Second, to strongly advocate the SWM efforts of leading global manufacturers in Pakistan. Third, to develop a computer-aided simulation model of a pilot water treatment plant using MATLAB/Simulink software. The results of the study reveal that, the performance and durability of RO treatment section is chiefly determined by the robust pretreatment organic filtration methods, where the main operational parameters such as volumetric flow rate, solute concentrations, and change in pressures across RO unit have been instrumental in optimization of plant performance and act as a driving force in enhancing system efficiency. In particular, the study is a contribution in the field of ICT sensor applications in process engineering.