PRIORITY 1 - A greener and more resilient Greece-Albania cross-border regionThe SDSLeaD (Smart Decision Support and Leakage Detection) project tackles water leakage and high Non-Revenue Water in the cross-border area between Greece and Albania —a region facing growing water stress due to overexploitation, pollution and climate change. Both countries share international river basins and similar challenges, including aging infrastructure, late detection of leaks, limited real-time detection and inefficient use of digital tools leading to water and energy losses, higher costs and environmental damage.
SDSLeaD’s main objective is to optimise water use through leaks’ reduction in water supply systems, ensuring adequate and quality drinking water. The project conceives and advances a systematic solution that includes a Decision Support System (DSS), a knowledge base about methods and tools to confront water losses, an action plan and policy recommendations. The DSS integrates mathematical models, digital twins and IoT technologies to enable predictive, real-time leakage management. This allows water utilities to detect and treat leaks early, reducing losses and greenhouse gas emissions —enabling climate adaptation and mitigation.
The DSS will be pilot-demonstrated in Kozani (Greece) and Korce (Albania) with the support of real-time data equipment. Capacity-building, workshops and policy outputs will ensure institutional uptake and sustainability. SDSLeaD promotes EU Drinking Water and Water Framework Directives, aligns with European Green Deal and EUSAIR Pillar 3 and supports SDG 6 through the improvement of clean water through innovation, digitalisation and interregional collaboration.