Improving efficiency of existing water distribution networks by centralized monitoring

The optimum distribution of treated pipe-borne water is a critical requirement in countries which have a deficit production in comparison with the demand. However, in 3rd world countries, it is not feasible to design the entire water distribution network as a whole, to enable near-optimized delivery, due to economic constraints. The current practice in such countries is to operate the nodes of the water distribution network, such as pump houses and water towers, in isolation, based on ad hoc criteria. Improper co-ordination of these nodes leads to wastage and inefficiencies in the utilization of the scarce resource of treated water. Hence the challenge lies in improving the water distribution process via a network that has not been inherently designed to support optimum distribution. The proposed system presents a solution to this predicament by centrally monitoring and controlling the functionality of these points of distribution. It is a low cost, locally developed system which can replace the PLC based automation systems currently deployed, simultaneously providing the additional functionality of remote control. It is operable in 3 interchangeable modes: Manual, Auto and Remote. The Remote Mode, which is a novel feature unavailable in the existing system, enables a central server to monitor the operation of the total network and issue supervisory commands to regulate the functionality or even to take over the control of a remote pump house, if necessary. It also facilitates the centralization of skilled labor.