Simple Automation in Rural water supply scheme

1.       Information

The operator shall know the status of the scheme whether raw water pumping is functioning or otherwise. How much is the discharge per unit time? To what capacity the WTP is being loaded? Normally there is only one pump and when it is in operation full plant capacity is in operation. Then it crystals down to the hours of pumping for getting the total quantity of water pumped. Knowing the total population to be served total quantity of water can be calculated at the defined LPCD rate. It will be essential to control the pumping at this level. For future population some additional pumping can be done to cope up the demand. Hence, as per design year wise daily pumping can be precisely given and pumping shall be restricted to the same. Now it will become the operator’s responsibility to get into the equal distribution in the whole area and carry out the same with minimum losses.

Accordingly the storages can be filled in to appropriate level and allowed them to drain in the distribution system in such a way that the system will work for minimum 8 hours. This is possible only with the multi-outlet system.  All outlets shall be from container itself. System shall be in operation for the long hours and users will be free to draw water any time in those 8 hours. It indicates that the storage shall be always at certain level or at least it shall not go down the LSL during this period. Hence, level in the tank is also important information to be available.

Peak factor reduction is more essential for the operation of the distribution. There can be minimum three outlets. Each will be operated for about an hour. It shall match with the rate of pumping. So that the water level in the storage shall be remaining the same as it is serving only one third area, even though it is working at the peak factor equal to 3. In remaining two outlets water will be available in next hours. Initial peaks have been taken care of. After three hours all will be in operation but at low peaks.

By this type of operation storage level will not drop below desired level.

2.       Equal pressures

Pressures need to be measured at salient points in the distribution system. They should be real time. This will indicate the status of the supply. Data generated can be transmitted on mobiles or also on computers next day.

3.       Time of supply

Jalniyantrak can be useful in this case for the set times on the outlets. Only thing in first openings Jalniyantrak shall operate full open and full close and in after three hours it will open 30%, for all outlets. This set will continue for five hours. In further times the % opening of Jalniyantrak shall be adjusted to increase of 5% more each year.

4.       Control on storage

Decided quantity of water shall be calculated beforehand and converted into pumping hours and these pumping hours will be restricted or programmed for stoppage.

5.       Multiple Storages

In case of multiple storages control will become bit complicated but it can be worked out. It will take some trials to finalize the settings.

6.       How this data can be transferred into log-book format?

All this data will be made available on the web and it can be accessed next day by the service provider. He shall be essentially from the State. Computer based excels can be designed from the data received. It will be available for analysis.

7.       Quality parameters

Minimum quality parameters are turbidity, pH, No2 for raw water. For pure water Turbidity and Res. Chlorine are the minimum parameters. For raw water they can be manually tested and reported. But in case of pure water they need to be from different corners each day. Random GIS ID can be given to the operator and he shall bring in the test results daily and record it on computer.

8.       Evaluation of the performance

Random Selection of GIS ID done above will be used to get the reactions from the consumers in a set format and messaged to standard mobile number.

GIS ID	Consumer No.	Area name	Hours of supply	Pressures	Water quality	Whether meter is working
			1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8	1,2,3	1,2,3	1,2

Total message can be : 5221, 2112,4331 etc.

All messages starting from less than 3 shall be immediately attended to and these messages are forwarded to higher authority automatically.

All compiled messages in a month will be listed Z to A, and sorted Z to A for all four categories and % of summation of numbers less than 14 will call for the border line performance at 30%.

More satisfactory will be when it counts 20%, and good if it counts 10 % or less. This analysis shall be automatically available on computers.

9.       100% connections to the consumers

As per consumer survey total number of households will be available. This is maximum number of house connections. Societies can have one higher dia. connection and it can be representative connection for the members of the society. Similarly there can be some group connections who want to share the expenses of the connection and that of the meter. Taking into consideration all such variations, total possible number of house connections can be arrived at. This shall be target for DLI. % of actual connections to the total maximum possible connections shall be the performance against this indicator. It will be daily displayed on the computer.

10.   300 days minimum supply days in a year

This DLI indicates the reliability of supply of water to the village. Supply may not be possible to the village due to non-availability of electricity, repairs to major component of the scheme, major leakages in the distribution area, spread of pollutant in the area, and for any other reason. All such reasons taken together will not affect the water supply to the village more than 65 days. Of course the water supply days shall be en-marked only in the case of the water supply at desired service level. Automation can distinctly give such data sorted out from the collected data on computers in the desired format.

11.   Secure and safe water

Reliability of the system to deliver the secured quantity of water daily to the village is one credit and the other important one is quality of water served. This is more important indicator. It is equally difficult to rationalize. From the village GIS IDs related to the Medical Practicing persons will be selected and they shall be asked to convey by e-mail to the village GP about the water availability based on the cases they receive. Similarly the medical shop keepers shall inform their reaction by the major medicines they are selling related to the water borne deceases. Schools may periodically inform the quantity and quality of water they receive. All this data together with the quantity and residual chlorine samples received will call for the relevant criteria for this indicator. This should also be indicated in the regular VWC meetings and inspections by the higher officers to the village. Revenue received from the consumers will also indicate about their satisfaction level. System should also cater for the extra legitimate but occasional demand so that the villagers can rely completely on the system. Villagers will react positively if the source site, WTP site, and ESR site will be maintained in a decent way, clean, and worth entering with permission. They will feel the source is well protected when they will see the beautified sanitary conditions in and around the source and pumping station. Working persons in well-dressed manner, preferably in uniform will add to the positivity. All sub components of automation, pumping, phones, furniture etc. in working condition and in clean environment will add to confidence. Even the approach to the pumping station will matter. It should be easy and in a defined way, protected in all respects is necessary.