Context 

In August 2019, Kolhapur city witnessed a massive flood situation. It was the most enormous and ruinous flood that Kolhapur has seen till now with the highest flood level of 57 ft. Thousands of people lost their houses, vehicles, crops, and hundreds of people lost their lives. 

There were many reasons for this unpredictable flood, such as excessive rain in western ghats, limited storage capacities of the dams on the river, some illegal constructions in the red zone, unmonitored extraction of sand from the riverbeds, excessive release of water from dams in western ghats, etc. Numerous environmental activists claimed it to be a human-made disaster. The government acted very effectively by arranging rescue operations, offering money for covering the losses, sanitizing, and cleaning services for affected localities in the town. After the flood, many policies were modified by the government for future safety.

After five days of havoc, the water receded from the area. The smell of litter and debris lasted for the next 30 days as there was no sunlight for many successive days. All the apartments, bungalows in the affected-area were covered with debris and litter.

Okay, here is a thing now! In some areas in affected zones, the quantity of litter that was lying around was much much more than the sludge like debris. This had created unhygienic conditions that bothered the residents a lot. Some members of the government assigned investigation teams were actively studying this problem; initially, they guessed that the water might have carried the litter from previous villages. However, later investigations found out that there were no landfills or dumping yards in the path of the river. They found out that the problem was with the clogging of litter in the Jayanti canal due to dam-like construction at the pumping station to regulate the flow into the river. Workers at the pumping station did not take out the trapped litter at regular intervals. And, as a result, the litter used to get piled up, choking the channels.

As I lived in the affected area and out of my curiosity, I was reading about these investigation reports through some contacts in the local corporation.

A Challenge

Designing a system for periodic waste removal from the Jayanti canal with collaboration with Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) to mitigate the after-effects of frequent floods for a speedy recovery.

Problem exploration 

I gathered a team of mechanical engineers, civil engineers, and microbiologists. We started our study by examining water currents' natural speed and directions and how they change in flood bulging. When the water level rises above 49 ft. then only the waste is carried into residential areas.

We interviewed the staff of Jayanti pumping stations and workers who collect litter to understand the problems.

The main issues were with the reachability of the waste collecting equipment and access points. Also, irregularity in the flow and waste type made it difficult to remove the waste completely and frequently. As the job was extremely challenging, exhausting, and tedious, the workers used to postpone or avoid the task. 

To design an affordable, reliable, and convenient system, we needed to study the type of waste in the water. With the help of my friend from microbiology studies, we tested the water samples from the canal. There were 400 different viruses found in the water—waste in the water contained plastic, packaging materials, sanitary pads, fallen trees, etc. We did extensive surveys of the canal to trace the source channels of this waste.

We had a clear understanding of what type of systems can solve this problem.

Solution space

We had brainstorming and co-creation sessions with experts to synthesize the solution. We explored different equipment/tools to help workers lift the waste effectively and quickly with the same access points as previously. Yet the devices were complicated (required regular maintenance), required a trained workforce, and were expensive. After jumping between different ideas and eliminating non-affordable and non-feasible solutions, we liked one; trapping waste at the input channels in various localities in the path of the canal, streamlining the litter flow towards one side of the dam at the station where access is easy, & creating a floating platform to take out the waste easily with the conventional equipment. After streamlining the scope, we studied the ready-made systems such as ocean cleanup systems and litter traps that would serve all considerations. We contacted some companies from Australia (namely bandalong, stormwater systems) for a quotation. However, shipping and customization costs were exceeding the budget. Finally, the team decided to conceptualize, design, and manufacture a similar affordable system. 

The system consisted of two subsystems: one installed on each of the seven entry points of the waste on the Jayanti Canal to trap the debris in situ. A second installed on the pumping station will streamline the litter flow towards the desired end. The first subsystem consisted of simple metal rings, robust bird nets, and ratchet straps for locking. The waste trapped in the system would be taken out by light-duty cranes mounted on tractors. 

The second system consisted of an anchored floating platform, customized floating baffles, a one-way valve, etc. While designing the system, we focused on utilizing readily available components to avoid unnecessary fabrication or manufacturing time. We had set the objectives for each part of the system in the ideation phase in terms of material considerations, worker safety, required forms, and functions. This facilitated the development process significantly. After the final design, we performed a structural and material analysis of the system through calculations and 3D modeling. We also made arrangements on the structure considering the future implications for accommodating waste-lifting through the crane, installation of conveyor belt, etc. As the complete system floats on the water, it can easily accommodate changes in water levels.

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For validating the balancing and buoyancy calculations, we experimented with a floating structure made for carrying pumps in the river that was used in one of the irrigation projects of the Agriculture department. 

Implementation 

We explained and submitted the project to the officers of KMC and District Collector of Kolhapur with complete details such as the bill of materials, engineering drawings, vendors and suppliers, implementation costs, installation & service guidelines. Because of the low cost (~₹5.5 lacs), high reliability, and convenience, the project was granted for implementation by KMC. It was supposed to be implemented at the start of summer(April 2020) as water levels are low and do not change. However, due to COVID-19, the whole project was postponed due to the lack of front-line workforce, safety concerns, and limited transportation. (We haven’t received any dates from KMC yet)

This was a great experience of working with a wide range of stakeholders and delivering an affordable solution.