'Internet Of Things' Based Devices Installed To Ensure Drinking Water Supply In Bihar

The Bihar administration has installed sensor-based 'Internet of Things' (IoT) devices in 30 districts to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply in rural areas under a state government scheme, an official said on Wednesday.

IoT is a network of physical objects that can exchange data with other devices and systems over the internet. These devices range from ordinary household objects to complex industrial tools.

"The department has installed IoT devices to monitor Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal project in 50,384 wards in rural areas in the state in a very short span of time," Mihir Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary, Panchayati Raj department, told PTI.

Under the scheme, the state government is supplying "adequate and safe" drinking water to more than 1.65 crore households in the state.

They are being provided with 70 litre per capita per day of water which is higher than that mandated under norms of the union government, Mr Singh said.

The IoT devices, installed in water towers, allow officials to monitor functioning of motorised pumps. The devices also detect wastage or excessive use of water by people. The department allocates funds to the gram panchayats for implementation of the tap water supply schemes in villages.

"The IoT-based remote monitoring provides real-time information without any manual intervention. This allows effective monitoring and management of the water supply scheme on the ground," said a senior official associated with setting up the IoT devices.

The department has installed IoT devices in 4,490 wards of East Champaran district, followed by Samastipur (3,837), Saran (3,759), Darbhanga (3,581), Patna (3,055), Gaya (2,991), Vaishali (2,859), and Gopalganj (2,831) and other districts.

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