Smart meters save the last drop in flats this summer

There is a growing interest in smart water meters among apartment communities in the city as water becomes the most sought after commodity this summer.

With borewells drying up rapidly and tanker charges peaking, residents of Bellandur and other parts of southeast Bengaluru are struggling to pull through the crisis, but with resolve.

Water scarcity in Bellandur, Haralur, Electronics City, Kadubeesanahalli, Marathahalli and some parts of Sarjapur Road has prompted apartment residents to opt for smart water metering. A city-based firm received more than 1,100 enquiries on smart meters in the last 7-8 days from apartments in Bellandur alone.

Apartment complexes reported around 35% reduction in water consumption after individual smart water metering. “This is the worst summer in Bellandur in the past ten years. So much water is being wasted. We were paying for water we never used. The smart metering system will enable us to pay based on individual consumption,” said Gangadharan Shivan, a Bellandur resident.

“Smart water metering has two advantages. Firstly, it allows individual households keep track of water usage thus reducing wastage. Secondly, it helps beat the standard practice of collecting a flat rate from all in water bills, regardless of usage,” said Kasturi Rangan, co-founder of Smarterhomes, the city-based company. He said this is the first time the company has received so many enquiries from a single area over the past five years.

Amit Shirbate, a resident of Sarjapur Road said: “There is an app through which we can monitor how much water we use on a daily basis. This enables sustainable use of water, especially during summers.”

Some apartments in Bellandur that have already installed smart water meters are Vakil Gardenia, Adarsh Plumeria, DSR Emerald and Topaz, Butterfly Apartments among others.