Sakshi, Hyderabad: The Water Board has deployed state-of-the-art robots based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to quickly identify sources of pollution and leakages in underground drinking water pipelines and resolve the problem promptly. These go directly into the pipes and identify leakages and contaminants. These have been designed by Chennai-based Solinas Integrity Deeptech company Endobot.. Swasth technology.
These robots work smoothly in pipelines of about 70 mm to 250 mm dia. These robots identify key challenges such as the area where pollutants meet in the pipeline, the life of the pipeline, illegal tapping, etc. Currently, three robots have been introduced in four divisions as a pilot project. Water Board sources said that complaints about water pollution in 132 areas have been resolved with these robots within a month.
Identification of illegal connections
Hyderabad’s underground water supply system is frequently polluted due to problems. This problem is caused by leakages in pipelines. However, identifying these sources of pollution underground has become a burden for the water board. Often, potholes have to be dug on the roads. Two years ago, advanced ‘Quick Inspection Water Pollution System’ (QIWPS) machines equipped with trenchless technology cameras were used experimentally in many areas.
But, the camera of that machine has become a financial burden due to problems like broken cables, unavailability of damaged equipment, etc. As a result, robots are being introduced in their place. These move inside the pipeline and find the problem. With GIS mapping, they provide comprehensive information about the water connections along the pipeline route. With this, information about illegal and legal connections is also being recorded.
These robots have a ‘high resolution camera’ with a light. It can be sent into the pipeline and the situation can be seen live on a monitor on the ground. Video is also recorded with the scenes detected by the robot. This allows the sources of pollution to be identified and the road to be repaired immediately only there.
If the results are positive, we will expand robotics:
We are using AI robots to identify sources of pollution in pipelines. We identify where the problem is and cut the road and pipeline there and repair it. We are currently implementing it as a pilot project in four divisions. If the results are positive, we will make these services available in all divisions.
– Mayank Mittal, ED, Jalmandali
Source:
https://www.sakshi.com/telugu-news/telangana/checking-water-pollution-robots-2595499