Underground Sewerage Schemes: Last Mile Connectivity

To keep up with the demands of rapid urbanisation, the Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) has accorded priority to implement Under Ground Sewerage Schemes (UGSS) in all the needy Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) through different financial schemes in a phased manner. The GoTN has made efforts to reach the ‘last mile’ with adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene in ULBs of Tamil Nadu.  This paper aims to draw insights into the underlying factors and initiatives taken by the GoTN for the UGSS last-mile connectivity in the state.

Indeed, in a state like Tamil Nadu (TN), sanitation is essential for enhancing the quality of life and health and improving productivity. In this regard, GoTN has taken initiatives in UGSS implementation and also in Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) in a phased manner to reach last mile, which are broken down into three stages detailed in the full article attached herein: i) from 2000 to 2008; ii) from 2008 to 2017; iii) from 2018 to present.

Apart from the financial support initiatives to the households, dedicated Information, education and communication (IEC) programmes were also conducted in different parts of the state to educate the households on taking the service connections to avoid direct disposal of wastewater to the stormwater drains or the neighbouring lands.

For the ULBs which are not covered under the UGSS implementation scheme, a separate plan had been prepared on FSM for safely managed sanitation in the state. The timeline of legal and regulatory framework associated with FSM initiatives are given in the full article attached herein.

The use of water supply and sewerage connection deposits, interest-free loans, and taxes in Tamil Nadu suggests that long-term sustainability of sewerage systems can be achieved with policy commitment, effective project appraisals and citizen involvement. The efforts by GoTN on UGSS last-mile connectivity can be taken as a reference by other states to improve the last mile with inclusive sanitation. The major lesson learned from the UGSS implementation is that the selection of towns for the implementation has to be based more on public demand, their capacity to pay back the loan amount, and the financial capability of the ULB than on the readiness of the DPR for the project.

A Monitoring Technique of Desludging and Decanting Faecal Sludge

Tamil Nadu is a rapidly urbanising state that has been establishing and scaling up sustainable FSSM, leading the way in innovating technologies and operating models in sanitation. Safe collection, handling, and transport of fecal sludge (FS) is an integral part of a septage management programme. This paper documents the use of load axle sensors with GPS technology in the de-sludging vehicle to understand the movement of the vehicle, de-sludging and disposal locations, travel distance and time, and the time for de-sludging and decanting. These learnings help determine the location of current disposal, service area, and planning of decanting facilities.

 As a matter of fact, de-sludging vehicles collect and transport septage to designated decanting facilities, eliminating the need for manual emptying and reducing the risk of human contact with FS. As per the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies (Amendment) Act (2022), the desludging vehicle must install a GPS device to monitor the de-sludging and decanting activities.

However, GPS can only track the movement of the vehicle and not locate de-sludge locations and whether operators were safely decanting the FS at the designated spot. Identification of the desludging and decanting locations with loaded quantities using GPS technology is difficult and a highly time-consuming process. The time required to analyse each vehicle could be a challenge for the ULBs as they scale this monitoring strategy.

Therefore, a study done on this aspect by the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP), intended to identify the possibilities of monitoring the de-sludging vehicles using a load sensor with GPS technology.

This monitoring helps identify the service area of the vehicle, the desludging and decanting locations, quantity of FS collected, travel time and distance between desludging and decanting locations, and time for desludging and decanting.  The analysis of travel distance and time aids for planning additional decanting facilities. Additionally, the vehicle was discovered to be loaded overnight and parked, so it is advised to keep the decanting station open at night as well.

Field teams are working on upgrading the system with an ultrasonic load sensor for more accuracy at an affordable cost.  Also, the option of incorporating the sensor output with the FSSM application to plan schedule de-sludging, auto deduction of decanting fee and real-time plant utilization rate, etc., are under progress.

The major challenges associated with scaling this monitoring technique are as follows.

  1. Requirement of an efficient monitoring system within the ULB
  2. Highly priced system: Possibility of vehicle owners with more number of vehicles refusing to adopt
  3. Lower acceptance among de-sludging operators for installation fearing regular monitoring of their activities
  4. Possibility of vehicle operators tampering with device
  5. Difficulty in orientation for desludging operators about proper desludging and decanting due to frequent changes in personnel.

Download the full article to read more.

Share Water No. 13

The thirteenth issue of the African Water Association (AfWA) technical and bilingual magazine, Share Water, is now available. It provides solutions in terms of guidelines and tools likely to help manage the WASH businesses efficiently and mitigate the shortage of water supply, for improved access to sustainable water and sanitation services for all in Africa.

Among these solutions, the water safety plan (WSP) approach is widely recognized as the most reliable and effective way to consistently manage drinking-water supplies to safeguard public health. Since the introduction of WSPs in the third edition of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking water Quality (GDWQ) and the International Water Association (IWA) Bonn Charter for Safe Drinking Water in 2004, a significant number of water suppliers have implemented WSPs, and many governments are actively promoting their implementation and/or inclusion in national legislation.

Some benefits of WSP implementation include the promotion of public health by continuously assuring safer drinking-water for consumers, the setting up of a proactive (rather than reactive) framework for managing drinking water quality, the early identification of new/increased risks-incidents, the in-depth systematic evaluation of water systems, and much more…

 

Zoom : des équipements pour l’approvisionnement en eau et le traitement des eaux usées

Les solutions du groupe AVK interviennent à ce jour dans tout le processus de l’eau ou cycle de l’eau, du pompage au traitement, en passant par le réseau de transfert, de distribution et de traitement des eaux usées. Les équipements fabriqués et commercialisés rentrent dans la gamme des vannes à opercule (jusqu’à 2500 de diamètre), vannes à papillons (jusqu’à 3600 de diamètre) et vannes de régulation ou intelligentes, qui permettent de stabiliser une pression ou un débit en fonction de la consommation des abonnés. Ces vannes permettent de suivre le débit journalier et le débit nocturne, pour ne pas rester sur une pression en aval de 4 à 5 barres sur toute l’année alors que le tirage est à forte consommation. Des vannes de branchement avec système de clapet sont également disponibles, et l’entreprise dispose à ce jour d’une des gammes les plus larges de robinetterie et accessoires de canalisations pour l’eau potable ; toutefois, elle ne fabrique pas les pompes.

La vanne papillon est adaptée aux gros diamètres, pour une meilleure gestion de l’encombrement et du regard. Il existe une gamme dont les matériaux sont adaptés aux liquides agressifs ou eaux usées. Les vannes murales et guillotines sont quant à elles utilisées pour les stations d’épuration. La gamme de protection incendie pour sa part, devra être placée sur des poteaux incendie dans les villes afin d’assurer la sécurité des habitants.

La vanne opercule est la plus utilisée dans les réseaux d’eau en Afrique ; bien qu’assez banalisée car enterrée (l’appareil est souvent invisible), elle sert à sectoriser un réseau dans le cadre de la procédure pour déterminer l’Eau Non Facturée (ENF). Si la vanne n’est pas étanche, toute la logique de calcul est fausse. D’où la problématique de la qualité des produits installé sur les réseaux, car très souvent les vannes ne fonctionnent pas et ne sont pas étanches.

Le logiciel AVK Assist peut être installé sur I-pod ou Android pour lire les données des vannes connectées qui disposent d’un code-barres ; par ce moyen, il est possible de géolocaliser l’emplacement de la vanne. Il existe également des fiches techniques et des petits logiciels pour calculer les débits. La vanne intelligente comprend un système de capteurs qui donne à l’exploitant des informations sur la manipulation de la vanne de façon instantanée, et celle-ci ne peut plus être manipulée à l’insu de l’exploitant. Pareillement, cette technologie permet de signaler la manipulation du poteau incendie par une personne non autorisée. Cette technique innovante s’avère très utile pour lutter contre le phénomène de l’Eau Non Facturée, i.e. l’eau produite mais non facturée à l’abonné.

AVK impose sur le cycle de l’eau les exigences qu’elle s’est fixée pour la gestion du gaz. Il y’a un écrou de manœuvres complètement serti englobant dans l’opercule en fonte et entièrement vulcanisé. Il n’y a aucun mouvement, ni vibration entre l’écrou et l’opercule, donc aucune corrosion. Il existe un concept où l’écrou est simplement positionné et un mouvement continuel peut être noté. Aussi, après quelques mois ou quelques années, il y’a un phénomène de vibration et donc de corrosion.

AVK est l’une des seules sociétés qui fabrique le caoutchouc (polymère) utilisé pour ses équipements. Une vanne opercule c’est de l’EPDM compatible à l’eau potable. C’est dire que AVK possède la maîtrise qualitative du processus de fabrication, qui tient compte de la norme européenne EN 681, relative à l’élasticité du caoutchouc et la rémanence (capacité à pouvoir s’écraser quand on ferme la vanne et à retrouver sa forme initiale quand on ouvre la vanne). La certification allemande GSK permet à AVK de garantir la qualité du revêtement époxy sur la vanne. Il existe plusieurs critères de contrôles non destructifs qui permettent de garantir la longévité du revêtement époxy sur les équipements, ce qui empêche toute corrosion de la vanne, même après dix (10) ans d’utilisation. En tant que garantes de la qualité de leurs réseaux, les sociétés d’eau gagneraient à tenir compte de ces certifications.

Le concept de vannes à brides peut être multiplié en différents types de connexion. Même si la vanne opercule est le nouveau produit lancé, il existe plusieurs pipes en PEHD dans la sous-région. Il s’agit d’un équipement dont les 02 embouts sont très manchonnés, sans aucun boulon à serrer et sans couples de serrage à respecter ; il suffit de souder les tubes PEHD sur les embouts qui sont déjà sertis et testés en usine. L’avantage du PEHD est la garantie d’un niveau zéro de fuites, car le polymère peut être soudé.

Les bouches à clé vont de pair avec les vannes, car elles constituent le point d’accès de la vanne par lequel il est possible de faire de la recherche de fuites grâce aux logeurs, entre autres systèmes de qualité, qui permettent d’écouter le retour du réseau. À la suite des vols de fonte et à la demande des clients, AVK s’est orientée vers des matériaux composites qui sont recyclables, économiques, non corrosifs, ne peuvent pas être volés et consomment moins d’énergie afin de répondre aux exigences énergétiques actuelles. Une nouvelle bouche à clé en tête fonte, tout en composite (tête ronde, marquage hexagonal, couleur dédiée, numérotation, etc.), qui peut être réhaussée pour s’ajuster sous la chaussée au passage des véhicules a été lancée. En effet, l’un des problèmes récurrents est l’écrasement de la chaussée par les gros porteurs (véhicules à fort poids), qui laisse en saillance la bouche à clé ; elle reste donc en hauteur par rapport à la chaussée. La solution proposée va suivre le mouvement de la chaussée, et assurer une continuité constante entre la tête de la bouche à clé et la route, qui facilitera la manipulation de la vanne au cours des années à venir dans un souci de durabilité. À la demande des clients, elle est en cours de développement et de vente en Afrique.

L’origine de l’ENF peut être les fuites dans les vannes. Aussi, des équipements de réparation de conduite revêtent une importance majeure. Il s’agit des solutions ou manchons toute pression, tout matériau (pipe en PVC, PHP, acier, etc.) et tout type de pression (jusqu’à PN=40) qui permettent de réparer les canalisations ou conduites en charge sans couper l’eau. Les informations sur le type de conduite, le diamètre extérieur et la pression permettent de fabriquer des manchons dédiés pour résoudre rapidement et à faibles coûts les problèmes de fuites, évitant ainsi les coupures d’eau intempestives.

L’emboiture de deux (02) canalisations en PVC ou en fonte qui ont des fuites peut également être réparée. Les avantages comprennent la simplicité de la réparation qui est définitive et garantit l’étanchéité sur le long terme, sans coupure de tube, sans déterrer la canalisation et sans coupure d’eau afin de ne pas perturber les utilisateurs finaux lors du processus.

 

Six takeaways identified by the All Systems Go Africa symposium for accelerating progress in the WASH Agenda across the African continent

This three-day All Systems Go Africa symposium was convened by IRC, in collaboration with UNICEF and the Government of the Republic of Ghana who also hosted the event. Between 19 and 21 October 2022, the event brought together over 250 participants, with delegations from 25 African countries, at the Kempinski Hotel. Participants comprised political leaders, professionals, government officials, academia, NGOs, private sector, donors and regional institutions – including the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Water Association (AfWA), and the African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW). The symposium examined the lessons learned from the review of progress and the critical changes needed to achieve the water, sanitation and hygiene targets in Africa. The key takeaways from this workshop are available here.

Setting Up a Community of Practice (CoP) on Earth Observation Technologies

As part of the International Water Association (IWA) World Water Congress & Exhibition held from September 11th to 15th, 2022, experts from the PrimeWater Consortium (EMVIS S.A & EOMAP), DHI Water & Environment, Australian Water Partnership (AWP) and African Water Association (AfWA) organized on September 12th, 2022, a session themed “Earth Observation Technologies for Water Management: Building a Community of Practice” to give a background on the Earth Observation (EO) Community of Practice (CoP) and showcase the uses and applications of EO in water management in different cases and contexts. This workshop allowed to develop a call to action on what can be done practically in terms of Knowledge, technology, regulation, etc. for addressing the barriers that were previously identified and creating opportunities for the uptake of earth observations tools and services. Read the session conclusions below.

 

Training in Municipal WaSH Project Management in Dschang, Cameroon

In collaboration with the German-African Partnership for Water and Sanitation (GAPWAS), the African Water Association (AfWA) organized from 10 to 13 October 2022 in Dschang, Cameroon, a training session on Water & Sanitation Technical Project Management at the Municipal level. This workshop aimed at sharing good practices from North-South partnerships on the regulatory and operational dimensions of municipal project management.

This training session effectively strengthened the capacities of technicians within the municipalities, decentralized technical government services, delegated managers and support operators (NGOs, projects, programs, consultancy office) so that they can fully play their role under the efficient supervision of elected representatives. At the end of this four- (04) day session, the participants were able to present the post-training action plans developed under the working groups, whose implementation will help improve the water and sanitation public service quality.

This document presents examples of action plans developed.

CAPACITY ASSESSMENT – A KEY STEP IN THE PROCESS OF IMPROVING MUNICIPAL PERFORMANCE

The USAID-funded Municipal Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Project in West Africa (MuniWASH) is providing technical support to improve the governance and management of municipal water and sanitation services in 16 target municipalities in Benin and Côte d’Ivoire . To serve as a reference framework for the municipal capacity building program, the USAID MuniWASH project provides these target municipalities with a governance tool called the Institutional Strengthening Index (ISI). This tool is deployed in a three-step process as follow:
1. The municipalities self-assess their performance in providing Water and Sanitation services to their constituents.
2. Based on the findings of these self-assessments, the municipalities develop strategic Institutional Strengthening Plans (ISPs) to fill the capacity gaps identified.
3. Finally, the municipalities implement the ISPs for improved service performance.
During the assessment phase conducted in FY2021, the ISI identified deficiencies at the organizational and regulatory levels and in planning, citizen engagement, data management, and others. This learning note presents lessons learned during the initial application of the ISI in partner municipalities.

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Achieving universal coverage through Africa Sanitation Policy Guidelines

On the 10th of June, 2021, the African Council of Ministers on Water (AMCOW) launched the African Sanitation Policy Guidelines (ASPG), a new initiative to help improve national and subnational sanitation and hygiene policy across the continent.
The ASPG aim to ease the process of resolving country-level enabling environment bottlenecks that stand in the way of African governments in meeting their national, regional, and global sanitation and hygiene obligations. They provide direction in functional policy drafting, broad stakeholder engagement, monitoring, and generic technical content specific to sanitation and hygiene service provision. They are applied for review, revision, and development of sanitation policies and implementation strategies.

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SHARE WATER Issue 12

This twelfth issue of AfWA Technical Journal addresses water security and the mechanisms/technologies to implement for universal access to water and sanitation for African populations, including a case study of the NGO Eau et Vie in Abidjan over the five years of intervention from 2016 to 2021. This study explains how to activate institutional and technical levers to enable vulnerable populations in disadvantaged neighbourhoods to have access to drinking water at lower connection costs. This innovative approach could help reduce unbilled water while giving economically weak populations back their dignity. A success story from the Chairperson of the Kenya Professional Women’s WASH Network, Dr. Leunita SUMBA, PhD on her commitment to women’s leadership and gender is also highlighted in this issue.