Design and Development of a PAMSIMAS Water Consumption Monitoring System Prototype Using a Smart Water Meter and LoRa

Abstract

The main problem in the PAMSIMAS water management system is the continued use of manual recording methods, which may lead to recording errors, delayed information, and the absence of a real-time monitoring system. This study aims to design and develop an Internet of Things (IoT)-based water usage monitoring system using a flow sensor to measure water flow rate and volume, and a turbidity sensor to measure water turbidity. The data are processed using an ESP32 microcontroller and transmitted through a LoRa module to a gateway for display on a web-based monitoring dashboard. The test results show that the LoRa RA-02 communication system achieves an optimal range of approximately 250–300 meters under line-of-sight (LOS) conditions in open areas, but its performance decreases in environments with physical obstacles. Thirteen flow sensor tests resulted in an average error of 1.44%, corresponding to an accuracy of 98.56%, which is below the commonly used tolerance limit of 5%. Meanwhile, the turbidity sensor was able to detect water quality effectively, with test readings of 45.06 NTU (very clear) and 315.02 NTU (turbid), and was able to classify water conditions according to the applicable Indonesian Ministry of Health standards. Based on these results, the developed system is capable of monitoring water usage and quality in real time with adequate accuracy and efficiency. The system is expected to assist PAMSIMAS managers in improving the efficiency, transparency, and quality of clean water distribution services to the community.