Development of a Low-Power Smart Water Meter for Discharges in Indus Basin Irrigation Networks1 ZahoorAhmad , EhsanU.Asad , AbubakrMuhammad , WaqasAhmad , ArifAnwar

1Department of Electrical Engineering, SBA School of Science & Engineering, LUMS, Lahore, Pakistan. {zahoor.ahmad,ehsan.haq,abubakr}@lums.edu.pk

2International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan Office, 12km Multan

Road, Lahore, Pakistan. {a.anwar,w.ahmad}@cgiar.org Abstract. To improve the sampling frequency of water diversion to distributary canals and to improve equity of distribution and data handling we have developed a smart electronic water meter based on ultrasonic sensors and GPRS modem to frequently record and transmit the water diversion data to a centralized server. The server processes the data to extract useful information for example seasonal cumulative water deliveries and discharge time series. The Wireless Sensor Node (WSN) inspired design is extremely low-power, field deployable and scalable with respect to cost and numbers. This paper, reports the first steps towards practical realization of a smart water grid in the Indus river basin, conceptualized by the authors in pre-vious theoretical studies.

1 Introduction

The Indus River Basin in Pakistan has the worlds largest contiguous irrigation net-work, running over 90,000 Km of watercourses and around 25 million acre irrigated area, the overall irrigation infrastructure accounts for approximately US$ 300 billion. Such a large system cannot be managed with high efficiency without using unprece-dented levels of automation and usage of decision support systems [1],[3],[13]. Quite contrary, most of the operation is manual which combined with poor management practices have contributed towards acute problems of water scarcity and distribution inequity. See [2] and [6] for an overview of such problems. Therefore, there is a great need to contribute towards agricultural development in Pakistan through the efficient management of surface water in canal networks to enhance food security, reduce pov-erty and adapt to uncertainties brought about by climate change.

Future irrigation networks as described by [4] and other leading researchers, represent a prime example of cyber physical systems (CPS), i.e. physical infrastruc-tures coupled tightly with distributed networks of sensing, computing and control structures. See [7],[12] and [15] for a discussion on CPS. In the context of Indus river basin, the LUMS affiliated authors have conducted a series of theoretical studies to determine the feasibility of a fully automated CPS, envisioned as a smart water grid for Pakistan. See [9] and [11] as examples of such case studies. Encouraged by these studies, the group has come into several partnerships in recent years with government

1 The authors would like to acknowledge financial support provided by the Embassy of the

Kingdom of Netherlands, Islamabad, Pakistan through Grant #22294 used in part for the partnership between IWMI and LUMS to undertake the research described in this work.

and non-gIWMI aftions in thagement,

Figure 1Irrigation

Twater dismost critisons. Firslarge. Thurementsterpretatioriorating give neararea watening, resomanual oother opedemand bhealth momeasuremtion such

Kfield depldesign is for instalIndus riveBahawalnanalysis oreported per mostldescriptio Astilling wwell is inter using is time-st

government offiliated authohe context of enforcement

(a): Examplesn Department

ed to flow u

This paper foscharges (pinsical requiremest, the scale oe scale enorm poses obviouon. Second, thinfrastructure

r real-time picer boards, farolve conflicts

operation allowerations and sbased deliveronitoring, re-pments will be

as controlled Keeping in mloyable, standinspired fromlation on braner basin. At thnagar, Punjabof the networkafter testing tly reports the ons of the softA high level d

well is construnstalled a batte

the principle tamped and t

organizations rs of this studwider governof water right

s of manual gat in Hakra Brausing a rating

cuses on autosal nawisi) in ents of automof such measu

mity when comus logistical phe fidelity of me and human fcture to basinrmer organizas, ensure transws no quicker services that ary, detection planning undethe first step gates and oth

mind these mod alone and wem wireless sennch canals andhe time of writb in the Hakraked sensing sythe system for

developmenttware backbondiagram of theucted in close ery powered wof ultrasonic

then transmitt

to translate thdy have similance issues rets and account

auge readout s

anch, Bahawalg curve derived

omating the hthe network

mation in the Iurements, eve

mbined with thproblems in dmanual measufactors in gau

n managers (thations) to perfsparency and than daily up

are not yet feof leakages

er changing sctowards insta

her active strucotivations, weeather proof c

nsor network (d distributarieting, 24 nodes

a canal commystem with dar the upcomint of electronicne and suppore proposed auproximity to

wireless sensodistance mea

ted to a cent

he theory intolarly been argelated to partictability.

settings for palnagar. The wd from channe

ourly-to-daily(See Figure 1

Indus basin duen at a local che manual natata collectionurements is quuge reading. The provincial form situationmaintain equ

pdates. Fourth,easible such aand non-techcenarios etc. alling even hictures. e have develocanal flow me(WSN) technoes at irrigations are being ins

mand area off tata analysis anng Rabi and Kcs for the wirerting civil infrautomation is s the canal. A

or node that saasurement. Thtral office at

o practical sysguing for suchcipatory irriga

ansal nawisi bater levels areel geometry.

y measuremen1(a)). This is oue to the follocanal commanure of daily fl

n, disseminatiouestionable du

Third, there is irrigation dep

n assessment uity amongst u, automation cas volumetric hnical losses, Lastly, automigher levels o

oped a fully feasurement syology and mon canal netwostalled by the the River Sutnd interpretatiKharif seasonseless sensor nastructure. hown in Figut the top of thamples the lev

he measured wregular interv

stems. The h automa-ation man-

by Punjab e convert-

nt of canal one of the owing rea-nd is very low meas-on and in-ue to dete-a need to

partments, and plan-

users. The can enable metering, structural

mated flow of automa-

functional, ystem. The st suitable

orks of the authors in

tlej. A full on will be

s. This pa-node, brief

ure 1(b). A he stilling vel of wa-

water level vals using

GPRS/GSdata, caliba predefinmade avavarious st

Tlow-poweextremesand a solcantly to tem onlydemonstrtional merate, weawithin a sound in have pacbriefly tocally tacka laborato

2

In this2(b)). It clevel andperature sare plannsystem isalso has aof the wa

SM based serbrate them, coned rating curailable for distandard web a

The contributier battery pow: A direct AClar-powered sthe cost. Our

y requiring lowrated usage ofechanical floaather proof anstilling well. weather expokaged, tested

ouched in this kled in softwaory prototype.

Wireless S

s section, we wconsists of an d flow. It also sensor immer

ning to add ots operated wita temperature

ater. The WSN

rvices. Here,onvert them inrve and then ssemination inand mobile ba

Figure 1(b): ions of this arwered design

C mains powerystem which

r design guaraw-cost annualf maintenanceats or pressurend narrow be

We have takosed condition

and calibratearticle, real-w

are and civil in.

Sensor Nod

will mainly foultrasonic ranhas capabilitised into the wther sensors toth 3.6V, 1400 sensor imme

N calculates th

a computer nto discharge file them in an the form o

ased services.

System data frticle are as fo

n providing a red system whis difficult to

antees a long-ll battery repl

e-free ultrasoue transducerseam sensors tken care to cns. Thirdly, thed the sensor world deploymnfrastructure,

de Design

ocus on Wirelnge finder as ies to interfac

water to calculo measure the0mAH batteri

ersed into the he water level

server receive(in cubic fee

a database. Suf graphs, tim

flow diagram.ollows. Firstly

practical comhich is infeasio secure physlife completelacement. Sec

und based sen. We have seto overcome compensate fohe unit is field

for all extremment challenge

making our s

less Sensor Nthe main sense to auxiliarylate its tempere turbidity andies with surgewater and calin the canal a

es the raw wt per second, ubsequently, te series and t

y, we achieve mpromise betible at remoteically and addly battery pow

condly, we susing instead o

elected extreminstallation d

or changes ind deployable ime conditionses have been ssystem much m

Node (WSN) (Ssor for measur

y sensors suchrature. In the d salinity of we current capalculates the temand sends the d

water level cfs) using

the data is text using

extremely tween two e locations ds signifi-wered sys-uccessfully of conven-mely accu-difficulties n speed of in that we s. Though systemati-more than

See figure ring water

h as a tem-future, we

water. The abilities. It mperature data to the

server thrthe blockgiven bel

2.1 Ul

The Mplicationscost and reading, iline featuimprovedpower reland GNDdegree cesen