Pune-based start-up’s Bhujal app helps monitor borewell water levels digitally

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One can now assess the water level in the hole by simply tapping on the metal cap. Pune-based Waterlab Solutions has developed an app that helps measure the water level in a tank within half a minute.

It works on sonar technology

Bhujal’s water monitoring applications build on sonar technology, says Vijay Gawade, founder of Waterlab Solutions. “Every well is covered with a metal cap by default. One needs to tap the metal cap with a hammer or an iron bar every two seconds. The echo generated by tapping the metal cap captured in the Bhujal app helps to know the water level in the tank and the whole process takes less than 30 seconds.” ,” he adds. “The operation does not require opening the wall cover. Water level measurement helps individuals and agencies manage usage.” said Jawad, adding that the company was getting good traction

The Bhujal app, which works on the android platform, can be downloaded for free from the Google Playstore. The company charges a subscription fee of £199 per year. There have been more than 1,600 downloads so far, Javadi said, adding that the company is targeting farmers, urban households and government agencies among others with its app, which helps in better water management. “We are targeting users in southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu where package usage is relatively higher than other states,” said Jawad.

Waterlab Solutions is incubated at the National Institute of Agriculture Management, Jaipur and has received grants from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Also, the company has recently been incubated by IIT-Kharagpur.

pilot project

Waterlab is running a pilot trial with about 200 farmers in Haryana to encourage them to use the app on a regular basis. She has also done pilot work with Syngenta Foundation in Maharashtra and Swayam Shikshan Prayug, Osmanabad. He said it is also running a pilot project with the Aga Khan Foundation in some districts of Bihar, which have seen groundwater depletion in the past two years. The company is also working with Atal Bhujal Yojana, a groundwater management scheme being implemented in seven states and Gujarat Water Resources Development Corporation among other agencies.

Waterlab has patented Bhujal’s app and has come out with an IoT version of the same, which has also applied for a patent in the US. Javadi said it intends to launch the IoT Bhujal remote barrier monitoring device for commercial and industrial applications in India, along with exploring options to take it abroad in countries such as Ethiopia.