At WEFTEC 2025, the Xylem booth spotlighted how innovation and collaboration are helping utilities adapt to an era of rising demands and shifting challenges. In an interview with WEFTEC NOW, Snehal Desai, EVP and Chief Growth and Innovation Officer at Xylem, shared how smart monitoring systems, collaboration, and new tools like generative AI (GenAI) are reshaping the water sector.
With more demand than ever and water quality not what it was decades ago, utilities are under pressure to do more with less. Desai explained:
“Through our work from a treatment perspective, a monitoring perspective, we're helping communities really tackle that dual challenge.”
He also emphasized the importance of efficiency and insight:
“The ability to be very efficient with lights-on knowledge about what's happening allows you to be able to really rethink how you actually manage your water network.”
For Desai, the atmosphere at WEFTEC reflects the water community’s determination to move forward:
“The job's not getting any easier. The challenges are just as significant as they ever were, but I think it's very encouraging and the energy and the vibe of WEFTEC is always...about the future, about solving problems, and ultimately moving forward.”
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