LOCAL WATER SUPPLY AND PLANNING

TOPIC: THE GOVERNMENT OF A STATE IS INTERESTED IN A LOCAL WATER SUPPLY PROGRAMME, AS A STUDENT OF SEM 481, GIVE YOUR ADVICE TO THE GOVERNMENT.

WATER

Water supply is a very essential programme as it enhances the life of the people and equal enhances community development.

But with all these benefits, there are three vital points which need to be examined and appropriately put in place for a workable programme.

i. Determination of the need of the people

ii. Determine the water yield and quality of water source.

iii. Make layout (Execution of the programme).

Determination of the Need of the People:

There are different need a people of a community usually want. For example, the people may be in dare need of electricity or road more than the need water, which may be due to they have another water source probably streams run round or across the community and the have no roat at all.

But however since government has decided to provide water, it is good and should properly enlighten the community on the need of the programme, so that the community will provide all needed local security to the programme facilities against vandalism and provide all needed support to the government where need be.

ii. Water source and yield quality provide provision of water in a community is determined to a very significant extent by the quality and available sources of water. If a community has no nearly stream or river, and its underground water table is very poor, the provision of such basic amenity will be a very difficult one. This is because the water to be provided to the community will be eighteen source form river, streams, or from under ground water table.

Therefore there is a need for government to survey and determine the water yielding quality of the project is intended to be a very successful one.

iii. Execution of the Programme:

This is the final stage of the programme. It encompasses laying out the project. This layout organized all the engineering processes involved in the project. Engineering work include site cleaning, excavation of all needed places, installation of machines, construction of different need structures such as coagulation chamber, sedimentation chamber, filtration chamber, and disfection chamber. These are the different chamber. These are the different chambers the water must pass through to get treated and pure.

After all these have been achieved, then laying pipes for water reticulation, before water treatment and supply which is the last stage of the programme.

Government has to determine all these stages before hand. Because if any is omitted and is found waiting, the programme may be a difficult or unachievable one.

TOPIC II- YOU ARE REQUIRED TO VISIT A WATER TREATMENT PLANT AND WRITE A REPORT ON THE VISIT, STATING THE SOURCE OF WATER, FLOW RATE, DISTRIBUTION PATTERN AND TREATMENT MEANS.

PIPE-BORNE

Pipe-borne water is prepared in a water-treatment plant. This water is usually germ-free. But it contains mineral solutes like sodium chloride.

Water from rainfall, rivers or lakes is stored in reservoirs. This water is purified by various methods which include:

Coagulation, sedimentation, titration and disinfection. The purified water is then distributed to towns and cities via underground pipes for domestic and industrial uses.

The treatment of water to make it fit for use is done in the following ways.

(i) The water is drown from a river (Ebonyi river) through a large pipe that runs underground. This pipe runs and deposits the water into a setting tanks.

(ii) In the setting tanks, chemicals like potash alum, or sodium aluminates

(III) Are added to course coagulation or floaulation. These chemicals have formula as follows: potash alum KAL(SO_N)₂

Sodium aluminates (III) NaACO₂.

In the coagulation tank, the impurities clump together to form big particle of dirt or floes which settle done rapidly.

(iii) The water is then passed through a filter bed to remove the remaining impurities of fine particles.

(iv) The water is then treated with chemicals like chlorine to kill germs. Other useful chemicals, such as iodine and fluorine, may be added in the correct amounts as food supplements to prevent goiter and tooth decay. These chemicals to the following Functions:

Iodine prevents goiter

Florine prevents tooth decay

Equally calcium oxide (Calcium hydroxide, CaOH) may be added to reduce acidity and remove hardness of water.

(v) The treated water which is run free and clear from germs, is stored in a reservoir and distributed for use in the town.

This process is illustrated in the diagram below;