Asset management in urban water utilities: Case study in India

Access to safe and sufficient drinking water and adequate sanitation are now recognized as basic human rights. One Millennium Development Goal is to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. However, ensuring sustainability of existing and new services is considered to be one of the major challenges for the water sector in the years to come. In India, in addition to service expansion, existing water service quality has been observed to be deteriorating over recent years. There is therefore an equally urgent need to address sustainability and improvement of service quality to the presently served population. In this low-income country, where water utilities are unable to recover even the service costs of operations and minor maintenance through user charges, there is a need to determine ways and means to be able to maintain a cost-effective service to consumers. For such a capital intensive service these ways have to include not only the introduction of efficiency measures but also the long-term planning of capital maintenance, that is the maintenance of the fixed assets upon which services depend. Water utilities in high-income countries have been using various fixed asset management techniques to improve asset operational efficiency, to plan capital maintenance and to demonstrate their ability to maintain and improve service to their customers. This study explores the viability of the application of asset management techniques and their potential contribution towards improving water service provision in urban centres in India. Following a literature review, a generic asset management model for a low-income country water utility was developed and then applied in the water utility serving Jaipur, Rajasthan to assess the viability of this adaptation. Having identified strengths and weaknesses during this fieldwork a revised model was proposed, including distinct phases of asset management/data intensity, which could be used as a generic approach in large urban centres in India. Following consultations with prospective users in six States, the study showed that it is feasible to take a first step towards asset management at low cost but this will require a change in the management approach. The study identified lack of relevant data as a key factor influencing an effective and comprehensive application of a generic asset management model. The study concludes that the proposed phased asset management models can contribute to improving serviceability for customers; however the concern that remains is the willingness of the organisation to adapt to the necessary changes

Asset management in urban water utilities : case study in India

Access to safe and sufficient drinking water and adequate sanitation are now recognized as basic human rights. One Millennium Development Goal is to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. However, ensuring sustainability of existing and new services is considered to be one of the major challenges for the water sector in the years to come. In India, in addition to service expansion, existing water service quality has been observed to be deteriorating over recent years. There is therefore an equally urgent need to address sustainability and improvement of service quality to the presently served population. In this low-income country, where water utilities are unable to recover even the service costs of operations and minor maintenance through user charges, there is a need to determine ways and means to be able to maintain a cost-effective service to consumers. For such a capital intensive service these ways have to include not only the introduction of efficiency measures but also the long-term planning of capital maintenance, that is the maintenance of the fixed assets upon which services depend. Water utilities in high-income countries have been using various fixed asset management techniques to improve asset operational efficiency, to plan capital maintenance and to demonstrate their ability to maintain and improve service to their customers. This study explores the viability of the application of asset management techniques and their potential contribution towards improving water service provision in urban centres in India. Following a literature review, a generic asset management model for a low-income country water utility was developed and then applied in the water utility serving Jaipur, Rajasthan to assess the viability of this adaptation. Having identified strengths and weaknesses during this fieldwork a revised model was proposed, including distinct phases of asset management/data intensity, which could be used as a generic approach in large urban centres in India. Following consultations with prospective users in six States, the study showed that it is feasible to take a first step towards asset management at low cost but this will require a change in the management approach. The study identified lack of relevant data as a key factor influencing an effective and comprehensive application of a generic asset management model. The study concludes that the proposed phased asset management models can contribute to improving serviceability for customers; however the concern that remains is the willingness of the organisation to adapt to the necessary changes.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Comparison of Different Types of Media for Nutrient Removal Efficiency in Vertical Upflow Constructed Wetlands

Abstract This study investigated the efficiency of two types of media, namely, gravels and sand for their nutrient removal capabilities from wastewater. Different levels of sand depths were also experimented for their removal efficiencies. And for this purpose three laboratory scale vertical upflow constructed wetlands (S1, S2, S3) were established at PHE Laboratory, MNIT, Jaipur. S1was filled with two layers of different size of gravels while S2 and S3 also contained different depths of sand along with the layers of gravels. All the lab scale CWs were fed with the secondary treated water brought from sewage treatment plant, Jaipur. The study was carried out for a period of three months from February to April, 2013. The results show that sand provides better removal of nutrients from wastewater than gravels, though TKN removal was better with gravels. Both sand and gravel were unable to remove NO 3 -N from the system as there was an increase in NO 3 -N in the system. But overall it can be concluded that sand provided more efficient treatment than gravels

Comparison of Different Type's Media for Nutrient Removal Efficiency in Vertical Upflow Constructed Wetlands

Abstract This study investigated the efficiency of two types of media, namely, gravels and sand for their nutrient removal capabilities from wastewater. Different levels of sand depths were also experimented for their removal efficiencies. And for this purpose three laboratory scale vertical upflow constructed wetlands (S1, S2, S3) were established at PHE Laboratory, MNIT, Jaipur. S1was filled with two layers of different size of gravels while S2 and S3 also contained different depths of sand along with the layers of gravels. All the lab scale CWs were fed with the secondary treated water brought from STP Dehlawas, Jaipur. Each system was operated at a hydraulic retention time of 2 days. The study was carried out for a period of three months from February to April, 2013. The results show that sand provides better removal of nutrients from wastewater than gravels, though TKN removal was better with gravels. Both sand and gravel were unable to remove NO 3 -N from the system as there was an increase in NO 3 -N in the system. But overall it can be concluded that sand provided more efficient treatment than gravels

Combined advanced oxidation dye-wastewater treatment plant: design and development with data-driven predictive performance modeling

Abstract The recalcitrant nature of the industrial dyes poses a significant challenge to existing treatment technologies due to the stringent environmental regulations. This combined with the inefficiency of a single treatment method has led to the implementation of the combination of primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment processes, which fails during complex secondary aeration processes due to variable pH loads of industrial effluent wastewater. This article presents a modified design methodology of a pilot-scale micro-pre-treatment unit using a solar-triggered advanced oxidation process reactor that both effectively controls the influent variability at the source and mitigates textile effluents for making the discharge reusable for different industrial purposes. The proposed modified combination technique of controlled serial processes inclusive of primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment steps with ZnO/ZnO-GO NanoMat-based advanced oxidation process demonstrates complete remediation of industrial grade effluent with effective reuse of the discharge. Further, a reliable prediction model for estimating water quality parameter using machine learning models are proposed. Multi-linear regression and Artificial Neural network modeling provide simple, accurate, and robust prediction capabilities, which are evaluated for the efficiency of the processes. The generated prediction models capture the output parameters within an acceptable level of accuracy $$({{\boldsymbol{R}}}_{{adj}}^{{\bf{2}}}\, >\, 0.90)$$ ( R a d j 2 > 0.90 ) and allow compliance with the discharge Inland Water Discharge Standards (IWDS)