As Australia heads into the summer months, the prospect of drought and water shortages is once again front of mind for communities, farmers, and governments.
Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, is highlighting how artificial intelligence (AI) and smart water technologies can help manage supply more effectively and reduce waste.
“Water scarcity has always been a challenge in Australia, but climate change means droughts and extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent,” said Carlos Urbano, Vice President, Industry for Pacific Zone at Schneider Electric.
“Digital tools like AI are playing an increasingly important role in helping utilities and businesses manage this precious resource more efficiently.”
Through its EcoStruxure solutions for Water and Wastewater, Schneider Electric is supporting utilities, councils, and agricultural businesses with technologies that predict droughts and floods, optimise distribution networks, and reduce agricultural waste by enabling smarter irrigation and crop monitoring.
By combining automation and AI, operators can gain end-to-end visibility across treatment plants, pipelines, and farms, ensuring water reaches where it’s needed most while minimising losses.
However, Schneider Electric notes that the full potential of AI is only realised when paired with open, software-defined automation systems.
Its EcoStruxure Automation Expert platform enables seamless integration across diverse assets, helping utilities unlock deeper insights and more adaptive water management strategies at the edge.
One example of smart water management in action is WaterForce, an irrigation company that partnered with Schneider Electric to deploy EcoStruxure™ solutions across its operations.
By integrating cloud-based monitoring, automation, and real-time data analytics, WaterForce was able to optimise irrigation schedules, reduce water waste, and improve crop yields, all while lowering energy costs.
As Australia faces increasingly dry and unpredictable summers, such technologies offer a pathway toward more efficient, adaptive, and resilient water systems.
Research has indicated that under a warming climate, Australia will spend more time in drought, with longer and more intense conditions, particularly across southern and eastern regions.
In September, the Department of Agriculture and the National Farmers Federation convened the National Drought Forum to shape the nation’s drought policy.
Over the past year, the states of Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and parts of New South Wales have experienced record-breaking droughts, severely impacting the farming industry.
Many farmers are facing financial stress, fodder shortages, and mental health pressures.
The implications of unmanaged water scarcity are far-reaching: reduced crop yields and livestock losses driving up food prices and curbing export earnings; more frequent water restrictions in regional and urban centres; rising water trading prices; and over-reliance on groundwater, which heightens salinity and long-term depletion risks.
Urbano said integrating digital intelligence across water networks can help communities, farmers, and industries manage water more efficiently while strengthening their ability to withstand future droughts.
He added that realising the full benefits of AI requires open, software-defined automation to enable seamless data flow and insight sharing across entire systems.
Urbano continued on, stating: “Schneider Electric’s local and global experience in water management is helping Australian organisations prepare for the challenges of a hotter, drier future.
“With smart solutions and AI-driven insights, there is an opportunity to safeguard supplies, strengthen food security, and reduce stress on rural communities.”
