WASA mulls ‘robot’ valve-operators to solve Pindi’s water crisis

Meets with a delegation from the Information Technology University


Our Correspondents June 24, 2019
A representational image. PHOTO: REUTERS

RAWALPINDI: In a bid to arrest the water shortage and to definitively resolve complaints surrounding the ‘valve-men mafia’, the chief water supply agency of the garrison city is planning to automate the process of supplying water.

In this regard, a delegation from the Information Technology University (ITU) in Lahore, headed by Dr Tauseef Tauqeer and accompanied by Dr Rehan Hafiz and Dr Usman Younis, met with Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Chairman Arif Abbasi and WASA Managing Director (MD) Muhammad Tanvir.

The former gave a detailed briefing on the possibility of automating tube-wells, mini-filtration plants and the Rawal Lake Filtration Plant of Rawalpindi.

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The ITU delegation told the Wasa officials that they will help automate tube-wells in the city. Moreover, they said that they can even set up an online remote monitoring system which would be designed to operate and record the number of hours the tube-wells' pumps and motors have worked, as well as the duration of any particular operation, water level and discharge, water quality and the power consumption.

They added that the system will also determine how much water was being supplied to consumers through mini-filtration plants and the number of consumers who had availed the service.

The ITU delegation said that water quality, including Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) levels and other basic parameters of water, could also be checked remotely by automating the entire process.

The delegation was also told that the Rawal Lake Filtration Plant would be semi-automated too. Through which readings of inflow and outflow of water, water quality and working duration of pumps could be checked online.

They added that this system would also help Wasa in its operations and maintaining a certain level of water supply in the system and control the quality of the water supplied.

In this regard, the delegation offered to set up a pilot project for Wasa which, if proven successful, can be replicated across the city.

The Wasa chairman welcomed the idea and said that they were taking a leading role in this regard. Abbasi expressed his willingness to immediately implement the project on a pilot basis and instructed the agency’s managing director to start working on the project.

The Wasa MD said that they have already marked five mini-filtration plants and the Rawal Lake Filtration centre for automation. He added that work on the project will begin next week.

The MD further said that the authority was keen to introduce IT Reforms in their system for better service delivery along with effective monitoring.

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Mini-water tankers

In order to ensure the water of supply to houses located in the narrow streets of Rawalpindi’s old neighbourhoods, the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has developed mini-water tankers.

Mounted on the back of small pick-up vans, RCB spokesperson Qaiser Mehmood said that the measure will make it easier to supply water in narrow streets.

For this purpose, he explained that the size of the water supplying vehicle would not exceed that of a small car, so it will not have to face any difficulty while entering the narrow lanes.

He added that they will gradually increase the number of these mini-tankers to resolve the issue of water supply in thickly-populated areas of the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2019.

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