Smart water meters to reduce water losses

Challenge

In Kenya, the small rural town of Bomet and the surrounding area are supplied with drinking water by the operator BOMWASCO. Due to deficient infrastructure, more than 65% of the drinking water produced is lost in the network before it reaches the consumers. This represents a loss of 3 million sqm per year, a loss of revenue of around EUR 1.5 million. As a result, BOMWASCO only supplies water for an average of 14 hours a day, leaving a large proportion of the region’s population unserved.

Innovative solution

The partners are developing a comprehensive solution for detecting physical and commercial water losses, including the deployment of acoustic leakage sensors, collaborative software and applications, and smart water meters. These tools will enable better monitoring of the water network and a reduction in leaks.

Impact

• Reduction in water losses from over 65% to less than 40%
• An increase of 200,000 sqm in the volume of water available to the population, enough to supply 2,000 additional households (8,000 people)
• Increase in the number of hours of water supply from 14 to 18 hours each day

Photo credit: CityTaps