At present, the national average non-revenue water (NRW) level in India is 20 per cent. The government and water utilities are working towards bringing this down. Automation has emerged as one of the important pillars of water resilience. Smart water solutions can reduce NRW through real-time monitoring, leading to a significant reduction in transmission and distribution losses. Automation techniques also help in harnessing the data coming from different sources and provide early warnings in areas such as water quality, abnormal consumption, reliable fault detection and optimised customer interactions. Drones can be used for efficient execution and monitoring while smart end-to-end water networks can help improve productivity, efficiency and customer service.
Smart Utilities takes a look at the application of automation techniques such as robotics in the water sector in India…
Improving leak detection
Pipeline leaks are key contributors to the water scarcity problem in India and globally. Automation techniques can help reduce pipeline leakages and reduce unnecessary pipeline replacements.
To this end, Solinas Integrity, a start-up incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, has developed Endobot, a robot designed to identify pipeline leaks and other problems. It provides a low-cost alternative to the expensive process of identifying poorly maintained and abandoned pipes that are at risk of leaks and hidden connections. The electrically driven Endobot has a small tank-like design. It connects with the pipe using a conveyor belt and moves along four wheels. The robot’s design allows it to navigate the pipeline’s uneven surfaces without stalling, recording the action and transmitting a live feed to the base station located at the entrance. These feeds are delivered to the user’s computer and can be evaluated in the future using the team-developed software.
Along similar lines, Fluid Robotics, a Pune-based company, is solving the problem of underground leaks in pipelines, their repair and maintenance. To this end, it has built a robot equipped with AI-based cameras, ultrasound sensors and lasers to map the pipeline networks that run underground. With this robot, Fluid Robotics was able to divert 2 million litres per day (mld) of untreated wastewater to the existing sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Pune. As of October 2022, the company has recorded over 1.3 billion litres of urban pollution across several cities, of which 800 mld is being diverted to the existing STPs through sewer pipelines.
Cleaning drinking water tanks and sewers
The use of robotics in the water industry is becoming increasingly common, particularly for cleaning drinking water tanks and sewers. Water utilities are working towards zero human intervention in cleaning processes. The Thane Municipal Corporation has introduced robots to clean its water storage tanks, ensuring that water supply remains uninterrupted during the cleaning process. This will make the process more efficient and reduce water cuts.
To stop manual scavenging, technology companies are developing robots that can clean septic tanks and sewers. In a recent development, the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation and the Jalkal Department have been provided with three Bandicoot robotic scavengers for the upkeep of drains and sewers in the city. Bandicoot is a robotic machine developed by Kerala-based start-up Genrobotics. It is engineered for cleaning sewers and consists of two major units, the stand unit and the robotic drone unit. The drone unit cleans and unblocks the sewer line by diving into the manhole. This initiative is a part of Swachh Survekshan 2023 and the Safai Mitra Suraksha protocol, which aims to create a clean and healthy environment for sanitation workers and the community. These robots have a nano-coating feature that enables them to function effectively for an extended period of time in hazardous or corrosive sewerage settings. In terms of time and cleaning efficiency, they are more active and efficient than humans. The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation is utilising the Bandicoot robot to clean sewers in the city. This machine has been provided by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.
Detection of Covid-19 virus through sewage testing robots
Robots have also been used to detect the Covid-19 virus in wastewater in India. Clinical studies have indicated that people who test positive for the SARS-CoV-2 variant of coronavirus can shed the virus in their stool, making wastewater surveillance at the community level a valuable tool for identifying potential outbreak clusters before clinical diagnosis, especially in areas where Covid-19 prevalence rates exceed testing rates. Automated robotic technology has been used to test wastewater pipes, drains and nalas in many cities across the country. For instance, the Maharashtra government worked with Fluid Robotics to determine and detect the locations with large concentrations of infections and control the spread of the virus through the vast network of wastewater pipes under cities. This robotic technology as a last-mile impact robotic technology to safely sample and trace the virus in sewage, using underwater robots to collect samples from difficult-to-access drains and nalas across the city while storing them at the required temperatures to preserve the Covid-19 RNA.
In sum
Robotics and AI-enabled technologies are helping to address the increasing urban problems of water loss and pollution in India. However, the adoption of these technologies is still in its early stages. The potential of these solutions relies on support from key government programmes and the willingness of executing agencies to adopt them. Robotics can help in automating processes in the water sector such as pipeline mapping and health assessment. In addition to detecting the Covid-19 virus, robotics can assist the government authorities in detecting new and recurring infections, enabling the healthcare system to prepare for or prevent such outbreaks.
Digitalisation and automation are two key focus areas in the steadily growing water sector. Smart measurement, network monitoring, NRW reduction, leakage detection, etc. are major areas of opportunity for industry players. There is a huge market potential for digital solutions in urban drinking water, wastewater and rural water. The next round of asset modernisation and upgradation is essential to keep up with the new standards for the quality and reliability of plants and machinery.
Going forward, the government needs to promote the implementation of robotic tools with advanced sensing capabilities to improve the techniques of water pipeline condition assessment and eliminate manual interventions. It is crucial that these robotic tools are affordable to allow for easy deployment across the country. Moreover, the government should provide incentives to start-ups for the development of robotics in the water and wastewater sectors.