Published by : International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)

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Vol. 9 Issue 08, August-2020

Arduino based Smart Water Management

Vatsala Sharma Kamal Nayanam Himani
Assistant Professor: Assistant Professor: Assistant Professor:
Depart. of ECE Depart. of ECE Depart. of ECE
BMIET, Sonipat, India BMIET, Sonipat, India BMIET, Sonipat, India

Abstract—Rainwater harvesting is the process to store the regions, rainwater harvesting systems can supply households
rain water in containers before the rain water goes beneath the and businesses with water for use in dry seasons and lessen
ground and recharges the underground water table. This paper the demand on municipal systems [3].
proposes the design of smart water management system based on
Arduino as an IoT application. In the proposed design, once
water is collected in ground tank, the ultrasonic sensor is used to
sense the level of water. The sensed information is updated on an
android application through which user can visualize the water
level on a smartphone. According to the level of water in the
tank, the motor functioning is controlled, when water reaches
near high level of underground tank, motor will be turned on
through Blynk application on smartphone to transfer the water
in the ground tank to main tank and when main tank is about to
fill up it will turn off automatically. When soil of the garden is
dry, the soil moisture sensor senses the dryness in soil and
automatically start the water pump and water flow through main
tank and reach the soil of garden then motor is automatically
switched off. Storing the rainwater reduces the surface runoff.
This also reduces the surface erosion. By capturing rainwater in
reservoirs, the flood problem in large rainfalls is also diminished.

Keywords— Blynk Application; Soil Moisture Sensor;

Ultrasonic Sensor; Arduino; IoT. Fig.1: IoT (Internet of things) [4]
Most of the rain falling on roads, buildings, roofs and other hard
I. INTRODUCTION landscaping does not permeate into the soil and is rather guided
into storm sewers for disposal. Water resistant surfaces cause
Internet of Things (IoT) is the networking of physical objects urban flooding in many areas and accumulate contaminated
that contain electronics embedded within their architecture in unusable water which is guided off from potable water reservoir
order to communicate and sense interactions amongst each [5]. During dry season, local groundwater can be used still many
other or with respect to the external environment. In the recent localities fight to meet their requirement of usable water.
years, IoT-based technology offers advanced levels of services Rainwater harvesting significantly reduces the demanded
and practically change the way people lead their daily lives. amount of the total fresh water as well as the strain on storm
Advancements in medicine, power, gene therapies, agriculture, water infrastructure [6]. While many localities recommend and
smart cities and smart homes are just a very few of the even subsidize rain barrels and other rainwater harvesting
categorical examples where IoT is strongly established [1]. systems, certain areas, particularly those in the
Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interconnected objects, southwestern United States, view rainwater harvesting as a
generally known as smart devices, through the Internet. The water rights issue and place restrictions on such collections [7].
systems that have been assigned an IP address and have the Smart Water Management (SWM) uses Information and
capability to collect and transfer data over a network. These Communication Technology (ICT), real-time data and responses
systems interact with the surrounding environment with the as an integral part of the solution for water management
help of embedded technology, which helps them in taking challenges [8]. The potential application of smart systems in
decisions as these devices can now represent themselves water management is wide and includes solutions for water
digitally [2]. quality, water quantity, efficient irrigation, leaks, pressure and
flow, floods, droughts and much more [9].
Rainwater harvesting system also called rainwater collection
system or rainwater catchment system is a technology that II. METHODOLOGY
collects and stores rainwater for human use. Rainwater
The proposed design is the combination of hardware and software.
harvesting systems range from simple rain barrels to more
elaborate structures with pumps, tanks and purification So, the working procedure of the proposed design is not the same
system. The non-potable water can be used to irrigate for both software and hardware. The proposed design method is
landscaping, flush toilets, wash cars, or launder clothes, and it divided into six steps as shown in fig. 2. in the form of work flow
can even be purified for human consumption with water diagram.
scarcity a pressing problem for many densely populated

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Published by : International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
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Vol. 9 Issue 08, August-2020

Fig. 3: NodeMCU Development Board/kit v0.9

There is Version2 (V2) available for NodeMCU Dev Kit

i.e. NodeMCU Development Board v1.0 (Version2), which
usually comes in black colour PCB. An ultrasonic sensor
transmits ultrasonic waves into the air and detects reflected
waves from an object. There are many applications for
ultrasonic sensors, such as in intrusion alarm systems,
automatic door openers and backup sensors for automobiles
[12].
Solar panels (also known as "PV panels") are used to convert
light from the sun, which is composed of particles of energy
called "photons", into electricity that can be used to power
electrical loads. Solar panels can be used for a wide variety of
applications including remote power systems for cabins,
Fig.2 Work flow diagram telecommunications equipment, remote sensing and for the
For solving any problem or for any system development the whole production of electricity by residential and commercial solar
work should be handled in these segments so that accuracy can be electric systems. A battery charger is a device used to put
provided. The workflow feature is flexible and designer can return energy into a secondary cell or rechargeable battery by forcing
back to the previous step and correct the system at any time an electric current through it. A trickle charger provides a
according to the requirement. In this workflow, before completing relatively small amount of current, only enough to counteract
the next stage, each stage must be executed completely. Such a self-discharge of a battery that is idle for a long time. Some
workflow is basically short and there are no uncertain battery types cannot tolerate trickle charging of any kind;
requirements for the proposed design. At each stage the design is attempts to do so may result in damage. Lithium ion battery
analyzed to determine whether the proposed design is going on in cells use a chemistry system which does not permit indefinite
the right direction and whether to continue or cancel the stage. trickle charging.

A. Hardware Used The soil moisture sensor consists of two probes which are
used to measure the volumetric content of water. The two
First, NodeMCU is an open source LUA based firmware probes allow the current to pass through the soil and then it
developed for ESP8266 Wi-Fi chip. By exploring gets the resistance value to measure the moisture value. This
functionality with ESP8266 chip, NodeMCU firmware comes sensor can be connected in two modes; Analog mode and
with ESP8266 Development board/kit i.e. NodeMCU digital mode. First, we will connect it in Analog mode and
Development board [10]. then we will use it in Digital mode.
Since NodeMCU is an open source platform, its hardware Specifications
design is open to edit/modify/build. NodeMCU Dev Kit/board Input Voltage :- 3.3 – 5V
consists of ESP8266 Wi-Fi enabled chip. The ESP8266 is a Output Voltage :- 0 – 4.2V
low-cost Wi-Fi chip developed by Expressive Systems with Input Current :- 35mA
TCP/IP protocol [11]. Output SignalBot h Analog and Digital
B. Connection & Working
The circuit diagram of smart water management system is
shown in fig. 4. NodeMCU is used as the microcontroller
(MCU). The USB power supply is given to the NodeMCU.
Ultrasonic sensor pin VCC connected to left 3V pin and Trig
pin connected to D0 pin, Echo pin to D1 pin, GND pin to left
GND pin of NodeMCU. Relay module 1 SIG pin to D2 pin
and VCC pin to right 3V pin, GND pin to right GND pin of
NodeMCU. Relay module 1 connected to 9V battery and 6V
mini water pump. Soil moisture sensor

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Fig. 4: Circuit diagram of Smart Water Management System

A0 pin connected to A0 pin, VCC pin to 3V pin and GND

C. Implementation
pin to GND pin of NodeMCU. Relay Module 2 SIG pin
connected to D4 pin, VCC pin to 3V pin and GND pin to NodeMCU is programmed with ESP8266_standalone.info
GND pin. Relay Module 2 NO (Normally Open) pin and using Arduino IDE by selecting NodeMCU 1.0 (ESP-12E
COM pin connected to battery charging module. Solar panel, Module) as the preferred board from Board Manager. For
lead-acid battery and mini water pump 2 which is connected adding NodeMCU board in Arduino IDE.
with battery charging module. The IoT platform can be accessed using Blynk app on iOS
and Android devices using the steps given below.
Transistor (T1) base connected to D3 pin, in series of T1
collector have a resistor R1 which is connected to another 1. Download Blynk app on your smartphone, and either
resistor R2, R2 connected with LED and LED connect with create a new account or log in using your existing Facebook
transistor T2 collector and its base connected to transistor T1, credentials.
T2 emitter connect to GND pin of NodeMCU. The NodeMCU 2. Go to Create New Project in the app and enter the project
board 3V given to the Diode (D1), LED and Relay (RL1). A name (say, IoT_ heater). Choose Device, for example,
12-volt relay is used to switch on and switch off the water NodeMCU, and click on Create.
heater through relay driver transistor BC547. 3. After creating a new project, an authorisation token
number will be sent to your email account.
Water collected in the ground tank ultrasonic sensor senses
the level of water. This information will be updated on 4. Download Blynk library from
android application; user can visualize the water level on a https://github.com/blynkkk/blynk-library. Install the library
Smartphone. According to the level of water in the tank the from Arduino IDE. Go to Sketch>Include Library>Manage
water pump functioning will be controlled, at near high level libraries>Add .zip and browse to the zip library, or after
of water of underground tank water pump will turn on extracting the library, add it to Library folder of Arduino IDE
through Blynk app on Smartphone for storing water in the on your computer/laptop.
ground tank to main tank and when main tank is about to fill 5. After installing Blynk library, browse Windows folder, go
up it will cut off. Similarly, when soil of garden is dry the soil to File>
moisture sensor sense the dryness in soil and automatically Examples>Blynk>Boards_wifi> ESP8266_Standalone.ino
start the water pump and water flow through main tank to soil sketch. Paste your authorisation token, and enter your Wi-Fi
after that soil is wet of garden then motor will automatically network SSID name and your network password in the
cut off. sketch.
Connect the water heater to 230V AC mains at normally- 6. Connect NodeMCU via USB cable and select the COM
connect (NC) contact of RL1. Connect 230V AC mains to port in Arduino IDE. Open ESP8266_Standalone.ino,
USB power supplier. When you click on Play in Blynk app, compile and upload the sketch into NodeMCU board.Then,
the timer will start. When the timer reaches the pre- open serial monitor to check whether your board is connected
determined or set time, as defined in the app, it will with Blynk or not.
automatically start. The relay will get energized and the 7. After that open Blynk app in your phone and ON/OFF the
heater will be switched on. And after the stop time, the relay button, now the NodeMCU is connected with Blynk app
will get de-energized and the heater will be switched off. through your Wi-Fi.

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III. RESULT & DISCUSSION

In the last few years, the water sector has faced significant
challenges, in particular, the effort to develop a smart water
system in order to improve efficiency and sustainability
performance (e.g., social, technical, and environmental). The
developed designations, as well as the analyzed case studies,
show that the application of this smart technology does not
only contribute to the future of smart cities in terms of water
but also to energy nexus, through adequate smart water
planning and management. The prototypes of the proposed
circuit design are shown in figure 5, 6 & 7. A Smart water
management system consists of water level monitoring
circuit; automatic soil irrigation system and timer switch for
electric water heater.
This application will improve the water sustainability and Fig.7: Timer-Switch for Electric Water Heater
management, as well as the policy of smart cities adequately
adapted considering different constrains. The selected IV. FUTURE SCOPE
techniques and actions depend on the considered threshold, It is widely acknowledged that there are fundamental flaws in
the capital investment, and the availability of techniques and the nation’s water and wastewater management infrastructure
equipment. In addition, these applied strategies must be (pipe systems, facilities, and equipment) that result in
associated with a worldwide awareness of society to the environmental damage and the loss of millions of gallons of
sustainable planning and management for the best use of water every year. Labor-intensive meter reading and the lack
available resources. Through the technological innovations, of visibility into distribution, collection, and consumption
the smart cities will reduce costs, increase the service quality patterns result in time-consuming, costly, and reactive
and optimize the operation of the system. The proposed services. To minimize these losses, and to address mounting
methodology can also be applied to other water networks concerns about drought, flooding, and water quality, the
contributing to improving system efficiency and water industry is now adopting advanced sensor and
sustainability by better management of the water resources. communications solutions designed specifically for “smart”
Internet of Things (IoT) water management. In large part, the
move toward implementing smart water solutions is being
driven by stricter government compliance requirements, the
evolution of smart cities, and the need for water conservation
in agriculture and other heavy water use markets. Smart
Water Utilities Improving Service Levels and Promoting
Water Conservation Smart Municipalities Reducing Pollution
and Enhancing City Services Water management is
considered the heart of many smart city initiatives across
North America.
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