Mon Nov 20 06:59:00 UTC 2017
Corporate South Africa has come on board to support a Smart Water Meter challenge initiated by the Shoprite Group to help roll out a ground-breaking water-saving initiative at Western Cape schools and make a real difference to the province’s water crisis.
Shoprite has already committed to supporting 100 schools and has, to date, received enough corporate pledges to install at least an additional 100 smart water meters. Among the many corporate pledges, Premier Foods has committed to sponsor 50 smart water meters.
The initiative is in partnership with CapeTalk, Pragma and Bridgiot, a start-up company affiliated with Stellenbosch University.
Bridgiot’s smart water meters measure and report water use by the minute by transmitting user-friendly consumption information to an internet app‚ and users are notified of any unexpected usage patterns via SMS and email.
Smart water meters are currently being installed at Cape Town schools on a daily basis, and Isikhokelo Primary School and Intshukumo Secondary School have already reported combined savings of about 25000 litres of water per day.
- Professor Thinus Booysen from Stellenbosch University
Companies supporting the Smart Water Metre Challenge will, like Shoprite, fund the meter as well as the installation and management thereof for a period of 12 months plus a once-off allowance for any repairs and essential maintenance required to reduce leakages and other water losses.
Apart from saving water, this initiative will enable schools to make significant financial savings and these funds can now be redeployed to employ additional staff members, for example.