The drought hitting Rome has left the Tiber River at its lowest level on record. The pillars of an ancient 1st-century AD bridge, near Castel Sant'Angelo, have emerged on the surface. For citizens, climate change is no longer an abstract concept: it strikes at heritage, the urban landscape, and also their wallets, with increasingly expensive and limited water. The water crisis shows that the lack of rainfall not only erodes monuments but also pressures the essential resources of daily life.
Sensors and predictive models to manage the urban water crisis 💧
Faced with this scenario, local administrations are studying the implementation of IoT sensor networks in modern aqueducts to detect leaks in real time. These devices, along with machine learning algorithms, would make it possible to anticipate demand peaks and optimize supply pressure. The reuse of gray water for irrigating green areas and street cleaning is also being considered. Technology does not create new water, but it can ration its use with precise data. However, the initial investment and maintenance of these infrastructures pose a budgetary challenge that no administration wants to take on alone.
If the Tiber keeps dropping, we will soon see the bill from the first emperor 🏛️
While archaeologists rub their hands over the remains of Nero's bridge, Romans rub their faucets just in case. The next trend in the Eternal City could be collecting ancient coins that appear in the dry riverbed, but be careful: tossing one in to make a wish is now throwing money away, because the most common wish would be for rain. And if the river disappears entirely, all that will be missing is a welcome sign to the new archaeological district with an entrance fee included.