DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A SMART WATER METERING SYSTEM WITH GSM FOR RESIDENTIAL USE

Abstract

Background: The component cost was GH₵980, equivalent to approximately US$84.12 at the exchange rate reported during the project. Objective: This study designed and implemented a GSM-enabled smart water metering system that integrates an ESP32 microcontroller, YF-S201C flow sensor, MPU6050 gyroscope, SIM800L GSM module, solenoid valve, liquid-crystal display, micro-SD storage, buzzer, and Blynk cloud connectivity. Methods: Effective residential water management requires accurate metering, timely access to consumption data, and rapid detection of tampering. The prototype was designed, simulated, assembled, programmed in the Arduino IDE, and tested under system initialisation, closed- and open-valve water-flow conditions, remote monitoring and control, tamper detection, and graphical data-visualisation scenarios. The implemented system successfully measured water volume in real time, displayed and stored consumption data, enabled remote valve control, transmitted cloud data, and generated SMS and audible alerts when tampering was detected. Results: The prototype therefore demonstrates a practical low-cost approach for improving residential billing accuracy, water-use monitoring, operational efficiency, and revenue protection. Conclusion: