Muscat – Nama Water Services (NWS) is set to enhance the accuracy of water billing by installing more than 400,000 smart meters across the sultanate this year.

The initiative was announced on Wednesday during a press conference, which featured a presentation by Mohammed bin Sulaiman al Kindi, Governor of North Batinah, and attended by key officials.

Khalid bin Hassan al Lawati, Acting Director General of Meters and Data Management at NWS, informed that the company has already installed over 320,000 smart water meters in Muscat governorate and 70,000 in South Batinah.

Lawati added that NWS has officially launched the second phase of its digital transformation project in North Batinah. Over the next three months, the company aims to instal more than 115,000 new smart meters across several wilayats. This follows the successful completion of Phase 1 when over 80,000 meters were installed.

The ongoing project is part of a broader plan to deploy over 400,000 digital meters throughout the governorates served by NWS demonstrating the company’s commitment to advancing digital transformation.

The new smart meters provide continuous, hourly consumption readings and support both prepaid and postpaid billing options. This technology enables remote meter reading, allowing for electronic invoices based on actual usage rather than estimates. Subscribers will receive their bills via email or through the NWS electronic portal, where they can also update their information.

The digital meters are designed to optimise water consumption by delivering real-time data, helping subscribers monitor their usage and detect internal leaks through notifications. This feature facilitates prompt leak detection and resolution, thereby reducing complaints related to high consumption bills.

Additionally, the meters aid in minimising water loss for the company by comparing the total water distributed, as measured by the main meter, with the total recorded by individual home meters. Discrepancies between these measurements can help identify and address locations of water loss effectively.

In the company’s 2023 annual report, Qais Saud al Zakwani, CEO, stated that reducing and managing water losses constitutes a central pillar of NWS’ strategic plan. 

“The company is particularly focused on the smart meter project, representing a significant advancement in how water bills are calculated utilising real readings obtained remotely,” he stated.

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