Supervisory, control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are of great importance in the water and waste water industries. Many treatment utilities use SCADA systems to remotely control sensitive processes and system equipment that were earlier controlled manually.

The system can be used to collect data from sensors and equipment located at remote sites. These sensors are installed at water and waste water treatment facilities to measure parameters such as fluid level, temperature, pressure, water purity, water clarity and pipeline flow rates.  They automate the majority of the control processes at water and sewage treatment plants. This reduces operating costs and the number of man-hours required for maintenance and helps increase the efficiency and productivity of plants. Further, these systems store a large amount of historical data that can be used for analysing consumption patterns, discharge standards, water quality, etc.

As these systems can monitor several processes, equipment and infrastructure on a real-time basis, they can be extremely useful during emergency conditions. They can be used to detect any abnormalities or disruptions in processes such as failure of key equipment and alert staff through an alarm system. They can transmit warning signals back to the operator to initiate actions to rectify the situation.  Pre-programmed control functions such as shutting a valve, controlling flow, increasing chlorination, etc., can be performed without any human intervention. The system can also be used to prevent disruptions in the treatment process through advanced planning for maintenance, identification of any imminent problems and adoption of preventive solutions.

SCADA in Southeast Asia

With growing populations, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, it has become necessary for the countries in Southeast Asia to deploy smart water solutions. Many countries in the region face intense pressure on water resources. Not only are water resources scarce but there is a high incidence of water losses due to inefficient

systems and leakages. Waste water treatment infrastructure is inadequate and untreated water is discharged into rivers, leading to pollution.

Thus, it becomes imperative for water and waste water utilities in these countries to adopt smart water technologies to mitigate water scarcity, improve operations and comply with regulations.

Advanced and innovative technologies such as SCADA, GIS, ERP, sensors, etc., are being deployed to efficiently manage water distribution networks. Countries such as Singapore, Cambodia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia have or are deploying digital solutions for smart management and efficiency improvements.

Singapore

Singapore continues to be at the leading edge of innovation in the water industry. The deployment of intelligent water solutions such as SCADA have helped the water-scarce nation to efficiently manage its water and waste water networks and reduce its non-revenue water supply to just 4.6 per cent of  the total supply, one of the lowest levels in the world. The Public Utilities Board (PUB), the national water agency of Singapore, is always on the lookout for innovative water solutions to incorporate smart work processes and attain higher levels of operational efficiency.

The implementation of the smart water grid system supports the PUB in managing its water supply network and improving service delivery. Sensors and analytical tools have been deployed island-wide to constantly monitor the water pressure, flow and quality. Most of the water and waste water treatment plants in Singapore have also deployed SCADA systems. The Changi Water Reclamation Plant has one of the largest SCADA systems in the world with around 500,000 input-output points and an extensive use of programmable logic controllers, networked data communications and graphical interfaces.

The use of this innovative technology has helped in the creation of smart plants with automated processes and the ability to not only analyse large volumes of data but also to predict the occurrence of equipment failure. With access to real-time data and continuous feedback, PUB has been able to differentiate between the characteristics of many normal and abnormal events. Immediate alerts and data visualisation enable PUB to identify operational inefficiencies and take remedial actions quickly.

Cambodia

Cambodia has made unprecedented progress in rebuilding its urban water supply sector over the years. The sector was characterised by inefficient service, high non-revenue water and financial losses. Non-revenue water exceeded 70 per cent of the total water supplied and the total revenue covered only about 50 per cent of the operational expenditure. The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) undertook major reforms that helped transform the water utility into a successful water service provider in the region.

The factors that contributed to the transformation included promoting transparency, including civil society, and investing in modern management procedures and technology.

Earlier, the majority of the processes in the water utility were manual and based on old, non-digitised technologies. There was no computerised monitoring and it was difficult to detect leakages or monitor a large area. The adoption of innovative solutions was given priority in the reform period and processes were digitised. Process control was shifted to the SCADA system to enable digital monitoring.

The water supply authority owns four treatment plants in Phnom Penh – Chroy Changvar, Phum Prek, Chamkar Morn and  Niroth. All the processes in the treatment plants from the intake point in the network to the distribution points are automated using the SCADA system. These measures have helped PPWSA in reducing its staff requirements, making operations more efficient and reducing non-revenue water to less than 6 per cent of the total water supplied.

Indonesia

Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous country and its infrastructure is developing rapidly. There has been increasing pressure on water resources due to increased demand from domestic users and various industries such as tourism, agriculture, etc. At the same time, there is also a high level of non-revenue water.

Bali is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and various steps have been taken to improve the water supply and meet the growing needs of the tourism industry. One of the measures taken includes the setting up of the Petanu Water Plant, which is fully automated and can produce up to 300 litres per second of drinking water. The SCADA system has helped in the smart management of the water network and in meeting increased water demand by reducing losses.

Vietnam

The Saigon Water Corporation (SAWACO), the local water supply authority of Ho Chi Min City, recently undertook major renovation of the city’s water distribution network. The city is the country’s largest city, with rapid rates of urbanisation and industrialisation.

The city has high rates of non-revenue water and lost nearly 30 per cent of its potable water to leakages and damaged pipes. By implementing the renovation project, SAWACO aims to reduce the water leakages to only 10 per cent by 2020.

The project involves the deployment of digital control and monitoring technologies to decrease water leaks and improve the overall efficiency of the distribution network.  The SCADA solution will detect, analyse and manage network events and incidents such as leaks, bursts, faulty assets, data issues and operational failures.

It will monitor the network conditions digitally through multiple data collection points such as sensors and meters. The utility will be able to continuously monitor events and use the information to take immediate action to reduce water losses. This, in turn, will allow increased amounts of water to be delivered to the city’s industries and 8 million residents with greater ease.

The technology is expected to help SAWACO save 500,000 cubic metres of non-revenue water lost per day, roughly the daily capacity of a medium-sized water plant in the city. The production cost savings could be higher than $10 million a year.

Philippines

Many steps have been taken to improve operations and reduce non-revenue water in the Philippines. In Metro Manila, the water concessionaires, Manila Water, which provides water and used water services in the east zone, and Maynilad Water Services which provides water in the west zone, have reduced their non-revenue water rates to 11 per cent and 29 per cent respectively.

The reductions have been possible due to the adoption of the latest technologies by the concessionaires in their water and waste water management systems.

Maynilad Water Services has invested in the deployment of central SCADA software. The data on flow, pressure and leakages is regularly collected from different sources and is used to ensure better water supply management and a reduction of non-revenue water. The concessionaire has also upgraded the La Mesa Water Treatment Plant in Quezon City by automating the processes for more reliable operations. Manila Water has also deployed the SCADA technology to improve its key competencies and current operations.

Malaysia

Although Malaysia is endowed with abundant water resources, the demand for water in the country has been increasing in recent years. Demand has been fuelled by growth in population, rapid urbanisation and increased demand from agriculture and industries. Water losses continue to be high with average non-revenue water being around 35 per cent of the total water supplied. The volume of waste water has also surged and is one of the leading causes of pollution.

Reforms, including the adoption of innovative technologies, have helped the country to upgrade its water and waste water infrastructure and improve processes. Syarikat Bekalan Selangor Sdn Bhd (SYABAS), the water distribution company that supplies water to domestic and industrial users in the state of Selangor and the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, relies on SCADA to increase operational efficiencies.

The system enables the company to monitor and control its water distribution network on a real-time basis. SYABAS has built an operation control centre in its Kuala Lumpur headquarters. The centre is home to its central SCADA system. The company earlier used a manual system to monitor water levels. The deployment of SCADA has helped the company reduce its staff requirements and water losses.

The Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBAPP), responsible for water supply services in Penang, has also set up a command centre at the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant. The centre is known as the Penang Water Supply Command Centre. It monitors remote data from all water treatment plants, pump houses and reservoirs in the state. It has helped PBAPP to detect water supply issues and improve the management of non-revenue water.  Penang has become the only state in Malaysia without any water rationing since 2008. The national sewerage company, the Indah Water Konsortium has also adopted the SCADA solution and installed around 26 systems in the waste water treatment plants to manage processes and reduce unexpected losses.

Conclusion

Smart technologies such as SCADA have solidified their place as a necessity on automation systems. They are continuously evolving and the SCADA market is expected to expand at progressive rates over the years. Southeast Asian cities are expanding rapidly at a pace higher than the global average. Management of water resources continues to be a challenge for many of them as they struggle with inadequate and inefficient infrastructure. Adoption of technologies like SCADA will help the water industries in the cities to optimise their processes, reduce water losses and manage their resources better.