Disaster Relief Principles Redefine Water Management

The lines separating disaster relief and business-as-usual water utility management have blurred. Safeguarding our water infrastructure now demands the same urgency and precision as responding to a catastrophic event, argues Swapna Deshpande, test & DevOps manager at remote telemetry and data solutions specialist Metasphere.

My journey from the high-stakes world of data storage and disaster recovery in India, to the Metasphere HQ in the UK, was driven by a fundamental realisation that the challenges facing water systems– sewer overflows, resource scarcity and climate-driven extremes – demand the same level of response and preparedness as those required for large-scale crisis management.

Just as disaster recovery teams must rapidly adapt to unfolding events, the water sector needs agile and resilient systems to cope with increasing pressures. This is already a stark reality for countries like Australia, which has faced intense bushfires exacerbating water scarcity and severe flooding in regions like Queensland in the past year; and also, nations such as Pakistan, where devastating monsoon floods in the summer of 2024 overwhelmed water infrastructure and caused widespread displacement and contamination.

These events across diverse climates underscore the critical need for integrating disaster relief principles into water management strategies globally. The principles of data protection, rapid recovery, and resilience are cornerstones of effective disaster relief operations, ensuring essential services can be restored swiftly.

Whether a sudden flooding event or a long-term water scarcity challenge, there is always an urgent need to protect critical data, implement robust processes for rapid recovery in the event of downtime, and ensure unwavering system resilience in the face of multiple stressors.

To achieve this, comprehensive Cloud DevOps and testing strategies are fundamental to ensuring that clean water and wastewater management systems remain efficient and reliable, regardless of the challenges they face. This is where my team plays a crucial role in Metasphere’s approach to testing and DevOps – which is the integration and automation of software development and information technology operations. I think of our role as similar to the logistical and technical teams in disaster relief, who ensure all systems are operational and can withstand extreme conditions.

A key part of my job is ensuring all teams within the organisation adhere to robust testing strategies, including:

• Security testing: Proactively identifying and mitigating threats and risks within applications and systems, including PenTesting (carrying out simulated cyberattack or ‘ethical hacks’ to identify vulnerabilities). This is akin to identifying potential hazards before a disaster strikes, allowing for preventative measures.
• Load testing: Simulating realistic user traffic and workload scenarios to assess system behaviour under stress. This mirrors the need to ensure infrastructure can handle peak demand during and after a crisis.
• Performance testing: Evaluating system responsiveness and stability. Just as communication and coordination are vital in disaster response, system performance ensures timely and effective operation.
• Resilience testing: Creating intentional failures or disruptions to observe how the system responds - the digital equivalent of stress-testing emergency protocols to ensure they hold up under pressure.
• Failover testing: Verifying a system’s capability to maintain service uptime during primary system failures. This is directly comparable to having backup systems in place during a disaster to ensure continuity of essential services.

All these elements play a significant role in improving application performance, stability and scalability - ultimately contributing to a more robust and reliable water management system, capable of withstanding unexpected challenges.

At Metasphere, the team follows industry best practice in managing continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, implementing the latest tools for security scans, continuous monitoring and data encryption. This ensures rapid deployment without compromising reliability. This agility and security are crucial in both rapidly deploying solutions in a crisis and maintaining the integrity of critical information during business-as-usual.

Just as when an environmental disaster strikes - security is paramount in everyday water management operations, which is why vulnerability scans, and strict data privacy measures are put in place, protecting sensitive data. In addition, the Metasphere team implements automated regression testing and uses infrastructure as code (IaC) to streamline deployment across global regions. This enables both rapid scaling and consistent infrastructure management.

Balancing rapid DevOps with robust testing requires continuous stakeholder feedback. This is why the team conducts user acceptance testing with internal stakeholders, such as sales and product management, to ensure our end-customers' needs are met.

Such rigour is crucial given the ever-changing landscape of water management both in the UK and globally. Importantly, this continuous feedback loop helps maintain and build customer trust while ensuring thorough testing. It is no coincidence that this collaborative approach echoes the multi-agency coordination vital for effective disaster relief.

Looking ahead, shift-left testing is a crucial trend in software development. The earlier that testing takes place in the development lifecycle, the sooner defects and vulnerabilities can be caught.

By incorporating testing earlier in the process, issues can be detected before they become costly, reducing risks, development time and improving overall system quality. Indeed, proactive identification of potential problems aligns with the preventative strategies employed in disaster risk reduction scenarios.

As internet-of-things (IoT) devices become more integral to modern water management systems, Metasphere is exploring the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) powered testing tools. These tools leverage predictive analytics and self-healing capabilities to meet the ever-evolving testing needs, mirroring the continuous innovation and adaptation seen in disaster response technology development.

The water sector is facing its own flood of challenges, and just as in disaster relief, our success hinges on our ability to anticipate, adapt and build resilience. At Metasphere, we are committed to providing the tools and expertise necessary to navigate these turbulent waters.

With a focus on automation, continuous testing, and cloud scalability, we are paving the way for a more resilient, efficient, and secure water management future. By embracing these principles, we are essentially building a more robust and responsive "emergency response" system for our vital water infrastructure.

About Metasphere
Metasphere is a global industry brand, synonymous with telemetry excellence to help our customers prevent leaks and spills for a cleaner, greener world. As a wastewater application specialist business, Metasphere provide monitoring solutions to the global utility industry with installations in more than 25 major utilities, government agencies and system integrators. The company liaises with all sectors of the industry, from major utility companies to environmental and regulatory bodies. Metasphere is a Grundfos company, with operations in the UK and Australia.

For more information, visit https://www.metasphere.co.uk/