PUC goes hi-tech to manage water and sewage |11 February 2011

This is being done through key equipment such as water loggers and flow meters being installed at various reservoirs as well as water treatment and desalination plants around the country.

Primarily aimed at alerting staff more quickly so they can monitor the system from afar, the equipment measures water flow and pressure in the main transmission system and water levels in the reservoirs on a 24-hour basis.

The loggers have a built-in Sim card, and the data is sent by digital message to a central computer in the PUC’s Malavois office.

The water division has already received a batch of flow meters, which have been connected to the existing loggers. 

Five loggers are also to be installed on Praslin and five on La Digue. They will give the PUC a much better understanding of water main pressures and make it easier to identify any problem areas in the water distribution system on those islands.

The corporation can now monitor flows, water levels and pressures from a computer, easily detect any abnormalities and take quicker action than before to put them right. 

The corporation will also instal loggers and Sim cards with high-level alarms at main sewage pumping stations, mainly because sewage pumps can sometimes fail to operate if there is a power problem or they get blocked. This causes sewage overflows at the pumping stations and can lead to pollution.

In cases where pumps are blocked or there is an electrical fault, the high-level alarms will give the PUC an early indication of the problem. Staff can then be sent to resolve the issue and avoid sewage overflows.

The PUC’s communications manager Julia Bick said the extra knowledge gained through this project will help them understand what is happening out on site and enable them to respond to problems more quickly.

By Ivan Hollanda