The New Indian Express              05.09.2013

In what could provide a clearer idea of the old labyrinthine pipeline network of the city,  the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is experimenting with a technology for seeing the inside of working pipes,  thereby helping gauge their condition, detect leaks and so on. The equipment was installed for a demonstration for KWA engineers here on Wednesday.

 The equipment is a pipeline inspection system which comprises a sensor rod installed with a 5 mega pixel video camera. Bound to a cable, it can be lowered into the pipeline where it can take video and acoustic recordings to detect leaks, locate air valves and structural defects in the network of large water mains.

 “There is also a small drag chute attached which will use the flow of water to carry it along the pipeline,” explained Arun Behl,  operations head of the Canada-based company which owns the ‘Sahara Tethered Pipeline Inspection System’. “The equipment can make real-time recordings of the pipeline as it moves through it.”

 Wednesday’s demonstration -  supposedly the first time the equipment was used in India - was done on the old cast iron line, laid over 70 years ago, carrying water from Vellayambalam treatment plant to Thampanoor region.

 “We hope this will give a very clear idea of the pipeline network and help us combat distribution loss by detecting leaks and unauthorised connections,”  said K S Praveen, assistant executive engineer with the KWA’s Non-Revenue Water Management Unit. (Earlier reports state that the KWA  loses around 40 percent in distribution). 

The ‘Tethered Pipeline Inspection System’ was of the same company that brought the KWA the  ‘SmartBall’, an acoustic leak-detection device which was released a few months ago. Using this, the KWA has been conducting pipeline surveys in parts of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam.

 “The disadvantage is that the ‘SmartBall’ is completely at the mercy of the flow of water in the pipe as it is not tethered to the surface, unlike Sahara, making it harder to retrieve,” said Praveen.

“Also it only makes audio recordings,  which can only be accessed when the ball is retrieved.”

 The survey work using these equipment is costing the Authority around US $ 3 per metre of pipeline, officials said.