Firm waits for land to set up SCADA project in city

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 2

To keep a close tab on the sewerage and water supply system in the city, Triveni Engineering and Construction company, which has been entrusted with the task of ensuring 100 per cent water and sewerage connection in the entire city, has been waiting to bring in the Supervisory Control and Date Acquisition (SCADA) project here for the past six months.

The high-tech SCADA project will be set up at a whopping cost of Rs 2.5 crore.

SCADA is a control system that uses computers, networked data communications and graphical user interfaces for high-level process supervisory management.

Using the system, MC officials and in-charges, while sitting in the room, will be able to identify the areas where water or sewerage pipes are leaking if the water works tank at one place is not full and at another, it is overflowing and if pumping motors are functioning properly or not.

Though the firm has got the approval for setting up the project about six months ago, it is yet to get space for the control room of the project. Although six months have gone by, the project is still only on paper.

After getting the approval for the same, the firm had bought the required machinery, which is lying packed and unused at the company's office.

Firm's deputy general manager VB Shivnagi said though the firm was all set to install the system, the Water Supply and Sanitation Board was yet to identify the place where the control room of the project would be set up. Meanwhile, GP Singh, XEN, Water Supply and Sanitation Board, said the department would expedite the procedure.

GP Singh expressed hope that with the installation of the system, transparency would be achieved in the water supply and sewerage system. Once the system was installed, it would be easier to ensure the distribution of water as per demand and plug leakages and mend faults in the pipelines, he said.

As per the plan, four water treatment plants (WTPs) and 11 overhead service reservoirs will be connected with the SCADA system for better monitoring.

What is SCADA?

• SCADA is a control system that uses computers, networked data communications and graphical user interfaces for high-level process supervisory management. Using the system, MC officials and in-charges, while sitting in the room, will be able to identify the areas where water or sewerage pipes are leaking if the water works tank at one place is not full and at another, it is overflowing and if pumping motors are functioning properly or not.
• It will keep a close tab on the sewerage and water supply system in the city.