We turn on the tap every day without thinking too much about it. The water flows, fills the glass, starts the washing machine, powers the morning shower. It is an automatic, almost invisible gesture. Yet behind that continuous flow there are networks, controls, costs, quality parameters, infrastructures and choices that impact the environment and our pockets.
The paradox is that, precisely because water is so present in our lives, we often know very little about it. Where is it picked up? How much do we really consume? How is the fee established? And why do we continue to buy bottled water, despite the fact that the public network reaches almost the entire population?
The difficulty lies not so much in the absence of data, but in their dispersion. Fragmented information, published in technical languages or distributed across different channels makes it difficult to have a clear picture. And it is precisely from this need for simplicity and transparency that the idea of integrating the water service into a digital space already used by millions of citizens for waste management was born.
In fact, to answer the thousand questions, Junker – the free app already used by many families and adopted by over 3,500 Italian municipalities for separate waste collection – has introduced a new section dedicated precisely to the water service.
An update with which it will be possible not only to consult information on separate waste collection and book services such as the collection of bulky waste, but also to receive notifications on water faults or interruptions, monitor your consumption, send self-readings of the meter and check your bills.
Why do we need precise information?
To consume less and to consume more responsibly. As Legambiente lets us know, Italy is now the first country in Europe for consumption of bottled water. According to Beverfood.com calculations, in 2024 consumption exceeded 257 liters per capita per year, with a growth in volumes of +2.7% compared to 2023.
A figure that places Italy at the top of the world, despite access to drinking water being almost universal. According to ISTAT, in fact, over 99% of the population is connected to the water network, but a significant share of citizens continues to prefer packaged water.
Why this substantial lack of trust? Because when it comes to public water, citizens’ questions are very simple, but the answers they receive are often fragmented. The information exists, but it is often scattered across institutional sites, technical documents that are difficult to interpret, communications that are not very visible or updates that do not really reach people.
In recent years the issue of transparency in the water service has become central. Not only for a regulatory issue, with ARERA demanding ever higher standards of clarity and traceability, but because the demand for trust is growing. Water is an essential, everyday good, and the perception of opacity or poor communication easily generates mistrust.
One of the most sensitive points concerns the quality of drinking water. The checks are frequent and rigorous, but the results are often published in a technical format, which is difficult to read for those who are not in the sector. Making this data more accessible, explaining in a simple way what the analyzed parameters mean and promptly updating any critical issues can strengthen trust in the public service and can also help reduce the consumption of bottled water, with a positive impact on the environment.
And not only that: many municipalities have installed water houses to encourage reuse and reduce plastic. However, their presence is not always well communicated: up-to-date maps, clear indications on timetables or information on operations are often missing. A widespread and easily consultable mapping of the territory would help citizens to make better use of this service, transforming an existing infrastructure into a concrete sustainability tool.
Bills and consumption: the need to understand
The tariff issue is also delicate. Water bills are often perceived as complex and opaque. Understanding how costs are calculated, monitoring consumption over time and having simple channels for reporting and complaints is not just a question of convenience, but of the right to information.
Greater clarity also means greater responsibility: those who know their consumption are more likely to reduce waste and adopt virtuous behaviors.
Water as a common good
Finally, there is a cultural aspect, in a context marked by increasingly frequent droughts, network losses and climate change, water cannot be taken for granted.
Communicating better also means educating: explaining how much it costs to purify, distribute and make water drinkable, promoting good daily practices, strengthening the sense of common good.
The point is not just to digitize services, but to bridge an information gap that often separates citizens and managers. When information is clear, accessible and up-to-date, trust grows. And with it the collective ability to manage one of the most precious resources we have in a more sustainable way.
The water service in an app
Integrating water management into an app like Junker, already used by thousands of Municipalities and Managers to simplify citizens’ access to information and services on waste management, means bringing people closer to a resource that we often take for granted, but which is essential for life.
The integration of the water service occurs without the need to download a new application, since the new section is already within the existing app, which thus becomes a single digital point of contact “always in your pocket”. As always, Junker is translated into 13 languages, in addition to Italian, to be easily usable even by foreigners residing in Italy and tourists, and ensures accessibility and usability also by elderly, visually impaired and blind users.
In the new section dedicated to the water service, you will be able to:
Knowing how much water we consume, receiving clear information and having simple tools to reduce waste can transform small daily gestures into more conscious choices. This is also where environmental protection comes from: the possibility for every citizen to better understand their impact and take care, day after day, of a precious resource that belongs to everyone.
