DEWA Smart Water Meters: How AI Helps Dubai Detect Leaks
Dubai is using artificial intelligence and smart meters to make its water network more efficient and help residents spot leaks before they become expensive problems.
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) had 1,159,933 smart water meters installed across the emirate by the end of 2025. These meters automatically send consumption information to DEWA, allowing the utility to monitor water use without relying on manual meter readings.
The data becomes especially useful when AI and automated systems analyse it. DEWA’s Hydro Insight system monitors smart meters and can identify unusual readings within one hour. The system looks for changes in consumption that may indicate a leak or another problem.
How Does AI Spot a Water Leak?
A normal household has fairly predictable water-use patterns. A sudden and unusual increase can therefore stand out in the data.
For example, if water continues flowing for an unusually long period or consumption suddenly rises when it normally remains low, the system can flag the reading for attention. Customers can then receive a High Water Usage Alert, giving them a chance to check taps, pipes, water tanks and other connections inside their property.
DEWA says its smart-meter systems helped detect 3.7 million water leaks at customer premises over six years. Early detection can prevent large amounts of water from being wasted and may also help customers avoid unexpectedly high bills.
The technology also supports Dubai’s wider water-conservation efforts. Detecting leaks is particularly important in the UAE, where producing drinking water requires energy-intensive desalination.
DEWA reported that water transmission and distribution losses reached 4.5%, which it describes as one of the lowest rates globally.
The smart-meter network is therefore doing more than recording how much water people use. It gives DEWA a constant stream of information that can help identify problems, improve network management and encourage customers to use water more efficiently.
For Dubai residents, the biggest advantage may be simple: a warning can arrive before a small leak turns into a much bigger problem.
