Sewage Monitoring and Maintenance Alert using IoT

Abstract

We\'re planning to create a smart gadget that can detect when the drainage system becomes clogged, and if water overflows as a result of this clogging, we\'ll notify the local authority so they can take the appropriate measures. Additionally, the Android application allows for real-time monitoring of the drainage system\'s status. Four sensors will be used as input devices for the project: a pH sensor to measure the acidity of the sewage water as accurately as possible so that the water can be treated in a wastewater treatment plant and can be reused; an ultrasonic sensor to detect blockages; a water level/float sensor to detect overflows of water; and a gas sensor to measure the to detect all toxic gases released from the sewage. Finally, by inputting the picture samples collected during sewage monitoring, we may use image processing to find fractures in the pipes. The ESP8266, which serves as both a microcontroller and a wireless module, receives and processes the data from these sensors. Here, a push notice is given to the mobile device in case of Blockage or Overflow in addition to the real-time ultrasonic distance being supplied to the Blynk/Adafruit Application. Using our smartphones, we can control any IoT device using the Blynk/Adafruit application, which can operate on Android, iOS, and Windows platforms. To develop the graphical user interface for our IoT application, we may create our own GUI.

Introduction

I. EXISTING SYSTEM

To overcome the blockage and overflow of sewage many organizations have prepared a sewage maintenance system to make sure there is no blockage or overflow. Each area is supervised by the municipality and many people are assigned to check the sewage on a regular basis. And the sewage maintenance system is too large which is currently being used and it is not easy to install. The existing system has the following disadvantages:

1. They are expensive and require human assistance.
2. Sewage maintenance system is large in size which is difficult to install.
3. They do not provide a cloud register and log the entries in it.
4. You don’t receive a response for every entry.
5. The detection and registering processes are neither combined nor automated all in one system.

Also, the existing system used for wastewater treatments checks the contents of chemicals in the wastewater. And these chemical contents are monitored at each and every stage of the refining process. And then sending samples to the laboratory and getting results is a time-consuming process. So, even if we are able to find the chemical contents, the resource we use and time required is comparatively more.

II. PROPOSED SYSTEM

Development and implementation of a network that regulates sewer conditions and provides a means to maintain and control the underground infrastructure using methodical approaches. The model proposed consists of a wide range of components which require routine maintenance and observation. The current system lacks a specified network for the simultaneous management of multiple types of sensors. In such a scenario the risk of failure is possible. The system design includes two sensors that detects sewage level and blockage, a controller to order, a communication network that records complaints about continuous rise in sewage level, and if any, blockages. To record the data a database must be maintained. The system generates warning signals prior to overflow by means of complaints to the specified departments via mail and SMS.

III. RELEVANCE OF THE PROJECT

Two million tons of sewage, industrial waste, and agricultural waste are currently dumped into the world's rivers, and one child under the age of five dies from a water-related disease every 20 seconds, or about 1.8 million children worldwide. Only 20% of the world's wastewater is properly treated, as treatment capacity often varies with a nation's income level.

Nearly every factory releases its daily wastewater production immediately and without any pre-treatment into neighboring water bodies. In order to conserve money, the majority of industrial units do not frequently operate their effluent treatment facilities (ETP). Our nation has a system in place to protect the quality of the wastewater, but it is time- consuming to process and contains expensive equipment. Additionally, the majority of the industry disregards governmental regulations due to inadequate oversight. A continuous online monitoring system is necessary to implement pollution reduction plans and effectively handle pollution incidents in order to recoup the effects. Therefore, utilizing IoT, the authority may establish a continuous online quality monitoring system in each and every industry, which is a smart solution for wastewater management. Additionally, it is anticipated that IoT will serve as a catalyst for upcoming technical advancements and that its application will increase significantly in the years to come. Additionally, through connecting more things to the internet and developing more effective systems through data analysis.

As a result of the suggested technology's deployment, many approaches and strategies have been employed to keep track of the sewage routes. An effective alarm system is built into the module to remedy the problem when the readings critically exceed the ideal range. We can address the issue as soon as possible as we receive this alert.

V. SOFTWARE USED

Different software and applications are used to establish IoT. They are Arduino IDE, IFTTT,Adafruit IO.

1. Arduino IDE: Arduino is an open-source Integrated Development Environment. It is made easy by using predefined functions which are available in libraries. The Arduino program contains two parts:

a. setup()

b. loop()

They are essential parts of the structure of Arduino.

2. IFTTT: A user can set up a response to happenings in the world using the services offered by the private corporation If This Then That. With the use of relationships with various service providers, IFTTT is able to receive event notifications and carry out commands that implement responses.

3. Adafruit IO: Adafruit is an Online UI that is used to do projects in the field of IoT. It is a customizable UI where the user can store data from a client. The client to store data in the UI has to follow the MQTT protocol. The client that uploads data into the UI is the publish client and the client that uses the data from the UI is the subscribe client.

4. MATLAB: Engineers and scientists can use the programming environment MATLAB to analyze, create, and test systems and technologies that will change the world. The MATLAB language, a matrix-based language that enables the most natural expression of computer mathematics, is the core of MATLAB.

VI. DESIGN METHODOLOGY

1. In the project, four sensors will be used as input devices, i.e. Ultrasonic sensor which is used to detect the blockage, the Water level sensor which is used to detect the overflow of water,pH sensor which is used to measure the acidic range of the sewage water as accurately as possible so that the water can be treated in a wastewater treatment plant and can be reused and  a gas sensor is used to measure the to detect all the toxic gases released from the sewage. Finally, using Image Processing we can detect the cracks in the pipes by feeding the image samples taken while sewage monitoring.
2. The information from these sensors is received and processed in the ESP8266 which acts as both Microcontroller and Wi-Fi module. 
3. The ESP8266 performs all the logical and mathematical operations inside and sends the appropriate signals to the Adafruit cloud for the necessary actions. 
4. Here, the real-time ultrasonic distance is sent to the Adafruit application, and also a push notification is sent to the mobile in case of Blockage or Overflow.
5. Blynk/Adafruit is an application that can run over Android and iOS devices to control any IoT devices using our smartphones. We can create our own Graphical User Interface to design our IoT application GUI

VII. HARDWARE & SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION

The NodeMCU is used as a WIFI module to connect to a server. And then the sensors are connected to the NodeMCU.

Each sensors collect data respectively and share them to the server via the WIFI module using Arduino. Then , the data in the server is represented in a graphical manner .

And then a pH sensor and gas sensor are also used which tests the wastewater and displays the pH value and toxic content of the water which makes it easy to treat the wastewater. Also, we create an application using IFTTT which helps the system to display the pH values and also to alert the users if there is a blockage of pipe or overflow of sewage water. And finally using MATLAB we implement the following:

1. The first step in this process is to collect images while monitoring the sewage which is done at regular intervals.
2. Next is to process these images i.e., the collected images may have a lot of noises (blurred or grainy image) so we use a MATLAB code to remove these noises.
3. And then when we get a clear picture of the pipe but cannot check if there are small cracks, we use the MATLAB software again to binarize the images collected to make the cracks easily recognizable.
4. And then finally, the detected cracks are displayed and then stored in a database which we can access when needed.

VIII. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

The proposed model works flawlessly. The system checks whether there is an overflow or blockage of sewage water, so that it doesn’t affect the surrounding environment in any way. So, there is a great use of this system where there are less complicated drainage systems and even if a problem is detected it will be easy to clear. So, the system provides good real-time monitoring.

BENEFITS

1. This system is easy to set up.
2. It is cost efficient.
3. This system has a less complicated circuit and only requires two basic sensors.And finally, it is beneficial to maintain a clean environment.

Conclusion

This system avoids the problem of overflow of sewage on the roads in many cities. It leads to the timely reminder to fix the problems and avoid difficulties and diseases due to sewage overflow. It also leads to a smart system that can maintain and monitor the sewage of the whole city. It additionally guarantees necessary cleaning of blockage due to which sewage level increases by repeatedly sending messages to concerning authorities.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2023 Rohith Srivatsan B, Laxman K G, Sarveshwar Kumar Singh, JeganAmarnath J. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.