Monday, January 5, 2026 • Industry and Trends
Cities worldwide face a critical challenge: their water infrastructure is aging, yet complete replacement is economically unsustainable. With 60% of the world's population expected to live in urban areas by 2030, water systems built decades ago struggle under increasing demand.
Infrastructure maintenance already consumes 60% of annual city budgets, while construction activity accounts for 40% of a city's lifetime carbon footprint. The investment gap between current infrastructure spending and what's needed to achieve sustainability goals is projected to reach 18 trillion USD by 2040.
The answer isn't building more, it's making what we have smarter through retrofit technology.
Why Complete Replacement Holds Cities Back
Cities and property managers want better water monitoring to detect leaks, optimize consumption, and improve sustainability. However, traditional upgrades demand replacing entire systems, creating a financial barrier that prevents widespread adoption. Kansas City illustrates this challenge: the city successfully installed smart sewer and stormwater management systems to enable continuous monitoring, yet the substantial upfront investment required made expansion to other districts difficult. This pattern emerges globally, smart water technology exists and works, but infrastructure economics block the pathway to implementation across entire municipal networks.
The social cost creates even greater inequality.
Low-income households spend significantly more of their income on utilities compared to higher-income groups. Those with fewer resources often live in older buildings with inefficient infrastructure, hidden leaks, energy losses, and poor insulation causing higher utility costs. These problems are invisible to residents who lack smart monitoring technology. Leaks continue undetected and the communities that need help most remain trapped in cycles of high consumption and high costs
Add Intelligence Without the Disruption
The solution lies in retrofit technology, upgrading existing infrastructure instead of replacing it. Non-intrusive sensors can transform mechanical systems into smart-enabled monitoring networks without costly infrastructure overhaul.
SureFlow : Making Smart Infrastructure Accessible
SureFlow eliminates the need for replacement entirely, providing cities with tools to upgrade existing infrastructure through non-intrusive retrofit:
Water Clamp Sensor attaches externally to existing pipes using ultrasonic technology, no plumbing modifications required. It detects flow, leaks, and consumption patterns in real-time across water networks.
AI-powered analytics provide instant alerts for leaks and anomalies at the household level, while aggregated data gives operators visibility needed to meet sustainability targets and ESG reporting requirements.
Municipalities worldwide race against ambitious 2030 deadlines. Budgets for complete overhauls won't arrive in time. SureFlow's retrofit approach makes smart monitoring accessible to all communities today
Making cities smarter starts with smarter infrastructure choices.
Ready to make your city smarter? Connect with us to learn how SureFlow's retrofit sensor delivers intelligence without traditional costs and disruption.
