KOCHI: The entire area under the Kochi corporation will be brought under a smart network. The Smart Water Network, envisioned by Kerala Water Authority (KWA), will be implemented in collaboration with SCMS Water Institute (SWI), which volunteered to carry out the feasibility study, oversee the technical aspects and provide manpower.
The details of the study, which has been underway confidentially for almost a year, will be announced soon, said a KWA official. Ninety square kilometres (the entire area of the corporation) will be brought under the network by converting the CAD drawings fully into geographic information system (GIS) and installing sensors using the internet of things (IoT). The system will fall under the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.
What is non-revenue water?
Non-revenue water is cleaned and processed water that gets lost in the water distribution system. It never reaches the final destination. So, non-revenue water is neither used nor paid for. This can affect the local economy and the local resources available.
Voluntary involvement
The smart network will cost the state very little. The government will have to pay for the installation of IoT devices. SWI’s voluntary involvement makes it all the more affordable. A tentative six-month deadline has been set to complete the project. Locations to install the IoT-based sensors have been identified. Students and teachers from SWI led the study and conversion of CAD works into GIS with the support of students from the civil and the electronics and communication departments of SCMS School of Engineering and Technology.
SWI analysed the secondary and primary data collected during the study to develop the water balance for the city. Using the GIS platform, they mapped the water stress in the area. Half the CAD-GIS conversion is complete. The third stage is the installation of sensors to check pressure variations and leakages. Then, these need to be transferred to the central system.
Challenges
Kochi corporation’s water network is over 50 years old, making it one of the oldest and most complicated systems. The extensions added to the network have added to its complexity. The terrain too is challenging. The eastern side of Kochi is very laterite with more water bodies. The SWI team is studying all such aspects.
Ideation
The plan was mooted a year ago, during a meeting involving chairman T K Jose, managing director S Venkatesapathy and representatives of SCMS-Cochin. They discussed ways for an educational institute to collaborate with the government department. While helping the city and residents, it will also be a learning curve for the students.
Advantages of smart network
It will enhance the efficiency of water usage, reduce non-revenue water and support crisis management as it enables to take immediate decisions without manual inspection. It also helps identify maintenance hotspots. Officials say Kochi has many maintenance hotspots where water leakage is a regular ordeal. There are also certain areas where water gets polluted often. The smart network can identify and fix such spots. Scarcity hotspots and pressure hotspots can also be identified using pressure sensors. Another advantage is manpower management. The system directs who should attend which area in case of an emergency. It can also help reduce transmission wastage. The project also plans to create a mobile application that will alert engineers when there is an emergency. If they do not attend, higher officials will be alerted.