Bengaluru water board bets big on AI and IoT; floats tender for real-time monitoring system for borewells

BWSSB, on March 25, demonstrated the implementation of AI and IoT in a public borewell at Benson Town in Central Bengaluru

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has decided to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT) technologies to monitor public borewells across the city.

BWSSB recently floated a tender for a real-time monitoring system of borewells within the jurisdiction of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).  The tender is likely to be finalised by the end of this month and the Rs 3-crore project is expected to be completed within three months.

BWSSB on March 25 demonstrated the implementation of AI and IoT in a public borewell at Benson Town in Central Bengaluru. Of the around 14,000 public borewells in Bengaluru, nearly 6,900 were dried up in the summer.

Also, read: Bengaluru water board to use AI, IoT for borewell management

BWSSB chairman V Ram Prasath Manohar told Moneycontrol that the first phase will cover 1,000 borewells in the city. "This is the first time AI is being used on such a large scale by a water board in the country. We are collaborating with IISc (the city-based Indian Institute of Science) for this project, which will also be used for groundwater monitoring," he said.

He said BWSSB maintains 11,000 of the total borewells in the city. "The pilot project was successful, and the next phase will cover 10,000 borewells. At present, we are spending around Rs 40 crore per year on the maintenance of borewells, and with the help of this technology, we can reduce it to Rs 4 crore."

Also read: Tech capital Bengaluru launches four apps to tackle water crisis

"Currently, we are operating it manually, so due to overuse without monitoring the water level, pumps often need to be replaced. Excessive extraction risks drawing soil into the borewells, causing blockages. We can address these issues using the technology," he said

How it works

The firm selected will be responsible for the supply, installation, commissioning and testing of a 4G-based IoT system integrated with AI for borewell automation, equipped with a bulk flow meter of 50mm capacity.

"This IoT solution will enable remote monitoring and control of borewell operations, providing insights into various parameters such as motor pump operation, borewell status, electricity consumption and water usage," said a senior BWSSB official.

"IoT will ensure that the motor turns on automatically during the day when all parameters are normal and meet the conditions set for water distribution. The motor will turn off automatically in any conditions beyond the expected parameters, including dry runs."

The mobile and web applications developed by the firm will have the provision to remotely turn on/off each borewell. It will also provide an event monitoring system that includes alerts, alarms, event notifications, reminders, etc, for all important components of the borewell operation.

"The key features of the proposed IoT solution include built-in safety mechanisms to address voltage and current fluctuations, automatic motor shutdown in abnormal conditions such as dry running, and autonomous motor activation during normal operational hours to facilitate efficient water distribution. The system will also provide real-time energy consumption data accessible via cloud-based platforms" the official said.

"The mobile and web applications will also offer functionalities such as real-time monitoring and control of IoT devices and motor starters, centralised management of multiple borewells, and automated motor operation based on predefined parameters" the official added. "It will also provide comprehensive data analytics features, including hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly insights into water yield, energy consumption, borewell water depth, and performance trends."

BWSSB to install 90,000 aerators

Separately, BWSSB has also floated a tender for the procurement of 90,000 water-saving aerators. The aerators, when installed in taps, will achieve water savings of 60-85 percent. BWSSB had urged all bulk water consumers to install aerators in their taps.

Following the water crisis, BWSSB announced on March 21 that bulk users such as malls, commercial complexes, apartments, government buildings, luxury hotels, restaurants and public areas including religious places must use flow restrictors/aerators. Failure to do so by March 31 would result in a 50 percent cut in water supply and a fine of Rs 5,000. However, the deadline was later extended to May 7.

"Aerators have been installed in 6.5 lakh taps across the city. For the remaining bulk users, we will use these 90,000 aerators, fit them and deduct the cost and fitting charge from their monthly bills after getting their permission," the BWSSB official said.

Also read: First floods, now dry days: Decoding tech hub Bengaluru’s water woes