Water pumping, supply to be automated in Chennai

The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board has decided to fix sensors in its pumping stations to keep a tab on water levels and operations of sewage lorries through its revamped control centre

The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has decided to fix sensors in all treatment and pumping facilities for real-time monitoring of water level and distribution.

Similarly, tenders have been called to fix sensors in sewage infrastructure, including at 325 sewage pumping stations, across the city. The sensors in water filling points, treatment plant and distribution will provide data on inflow and outflow and help check leaks and pilferage, said the officials of the board.

Sensors at sewage pumping stations will help in automation of pumping once the water reaches a certain level. This will help monitor the functioning of the facilities round the clock and rectify repairs or blocks immediately.

The data on water level recorders installed at the city reservoirs will be obtained from the Water Resources Department to keep a tab on water availability. The water board has opened a revamped monitoring and control centre for integrated monitoring of various operations of water and sewer infrastructure in the city.

The Centre functions 24x7 with a minimum of 16 persons per shift attending calls from residents on various issues. Nearly 50% of the calls relate to sewage pollution and blocks. “We get calls related to the status of various projects being implemented in the city. Residents call to learn about water and sewer projects,” said an official.

There are plans to install surveillance cameras at project sites. The complaint status would now be escalated to higher officials unlike in the previous system where it was dealt at the area level.

On an average, the centre receives 300 calls daily and the number of goes up during monsoon. The water board is fitting GPS equipment to track sewer machines.