CHENNAI: A potentially revolutionary technology, which can do wonders to conserve water, is on the anvil and the architects of this idea is a group of computer science engineering students from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai. Using a smartphone, web applications and a smart valve, this technology enables a household to optimise water usage. Students have proved that it’s workable and stole the show during the Pan IIT Leadership Series and the IIT Alumni Industry Interaction Center (PALS5) innovation challenge.
The team is in the process of implementing the technology on their 15-storey hostel building on campus. With the State government’s talk of water metering, this product, Amanzi, can be a solution. For instance, if a family of two consumes 50 litres of water a day, they can place a request using the app with the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) for exactly 50 litres and pay for it. “The app connects to a remote cloud and the database will be accessed by CMWSSB. The smart valve (controlled remotely) will stop the supply as soon as the request is met. You can alter the request everyday and it will be recorded and charged accordingly at the end of the month,” said Prof Kalyan Chakravarthy (mentor), School of Electronics Engineering, VIT.
In many cities now, water supplied to different houses is fixed and many times, households which use less water on a particular day, will have excess water. Fixed water supply also means that a household that requires a large amount of water will have to get this extra water from elsewhere. Consequently, the water bill for each household will be the same, irrespective of the water used.
The solution provided by the students is automated, including opening and closing of valves, managing supply of water and taking user inputs. We’re need financial support to implement it on a larger scale. As of now, two private companies have shown interest,” said Kalyan. “We are applying for intellectual property rights,” said Kalyan.