Sensor platform for assessment of water usage patterns in informal settlements

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Urban Planning
• Water Resource Management

Background:

• Rapid urbanization exacerbates water system pressures, disproportionately affecting informal settlements.
• Existing water monitoring methods lack the necessary detail for effective management in these areas.
• Reliable quantitative data is essential for improving water management and modeling in resource-limited settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel, low-cost sensing platform for comprehensive water assessment in informal settlements.
• To address the limitations of current water monitoring techniques in capturing spatio-temporal usage patterns.
• To provide a tool for enhancing water management strategies and policy-making in vulnerable communities.

Main Methods:

• Development of a four-module, low-cost sensing platform adaptable to household water storage (tanks, buckets).
• Controlled environment evaluation of sensor reliability for water quantity, quality, and usage.
• Field deployment and testing within an informal community in Mexico to assess real-world performance.

Main Results:

• Sensors demonstrated reliability in measuring water quantity, quality, and usage patterns.
• The platform successfully tracked multiple water storage tank levels and bucket usage.
• Water quality was assessed, and household water activities were monitored non-disruptively.

Conclusions:

• The sensing platform offers a viable solution for detailed water assessment in informal settlements.
• This technology can significantly improve water management and inform policy through data-driven insights.
• The findings support the integration of bottom-up and top-down approaches for enhanced water governance.