Only 52% of Nepalis have access to piped water for their homes. One of the reasons is that, according to government data, less than 30% of Nepal’s 44,000 water schemes are fully functional. When services fail, people often rely on water from tanker trucks, which is usually much lower quality and can cost up to 40 times more than piped water. Price gouging in times of scarcity is well documented.

Diyalo is a pioneer in water tech solutions. With 10 years of experience in the sector, they have partnerships with 600 utilities that serve 1.2 million households with their existing solution – an IoT-based water quality monitoring technology that includes a water intelligence system, mobile app and IoT-enabled web-based software called “Watermark”.

Diyalo has already developed their latest version of Watermark and integrated new modules, including IoT. They are preparing to test their IoT solution with 16 utilities before rolling it and the mobile app out nationally. Meanwhile, they are researching water treatment plants to implement their solution. Their focus will be on the drinking water sector of Nepal and working closely with the regulators, development agencies and utility providers. Starting in 2024, Diyalo is planning to launch their solutions in the international market to contribute to the global drinking water sector.

Diyalo is one of the start-ups supported by the GSMA Innovation Fund for Digital Urban Services, which was launched in May 2021. It is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and supported by the GSMA and its members.

Learn more about the GSMA Innovation Fund: https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/connectivity-for-good/mobile-for-development/the-gsma-innovation-fund/