Despite the municipal corporation installing the Supervisory Control and Date Acquisition (SCADA) system to run as many as 204 tubewells in the city after spending rs 12 crore in 2009, it has failed to live up to the expectations with which the system was adopted.
As per the record, out of a total of 234 tubewells and boosters in the city, as many as 204 tubewells are operated through the SCADA system, but due to mismanagement, only 160 of them are operation, while others are lying defunct due to non-functional Remote Terminal Units (RTU) installed at these tubwells.
The record further states that in most tubewells, depth sensors installed with the cost of over `50, 000 each - to check to water level - are also nonfunctional.
A senior MC public health wing official said with the decreasing water level table, it is very important to have depth sensors, failing which pumping machinery could be damaged.
He added that due to this reason, so many break downs happen, therefore affecting the water supply and loss to the exchequer. Every month, owing to defects in pumping machines, nearly 40 to 50 tubewells remained non-functional, and to repair each machine, the MC invests around Rs 50,000.
The automatic panels are installed to run tubewells, and are attached with the SCADA system. In case of any untoward incident, the panel trips automatically. An employee operating the SCADA system said, “We have written to the authorities concerned to repair the RTU and depth sensors several times, but to no avail.”
{{/usCountry}}The automatic panels are installed to run tubewells, and are attached with the SCADA system. In case of any untoward incident, the panel trips automatically. An employee operating the SCADA system said, “We have written to the authorities concerned to repair the RTU and depth sensors several times, but to no avail.”
{{/usCountry}}However, when contacted, MC chief engineer Mukesh Anand said, “Though I am not aware about the issue, I will seek a report in this regard on Monday.”