Detection of Water Meter Digits Based on Improved Faster R-CNN

In order to more accurately detect the accuracy of word-wheel water meter digits, 2000 water meter pictures were produced, and an improved Faster-RCNN algorithm for detecting water meter digits was proposed. The improved Faster-RCNN algorithm uses ResNet50 combined with FPN (Feature Pyramid Network) structure instead of the original ResNet50 as the feature extraction network, which can enhance the accuracy of the model for small-sized digit recognition;the use of ROI Align instead of ROI Pooling can eliminate the error caused by the quantization process of the ROI Pooling twice, so that the candidate region is more accurately mapped to the feature map, and the accuracy of the model is further enhanced. The experiment proves that the improved Faster-RCNN algorithm can reach 91.8% recognition accuracy on the test set of homemade dataset, which meets the accuracy requirements of automatic meter reading technology for water meter digital recognition, which is of great significance for solving the problem of automatic meter reading of mechanical water meters and promoting the intelligent development of water meters.

Strategies for Household Water Supply Improvement with Rainwater Harvesting

There are significant household water supply challenges including quantity sufficiency and quality, which have economic and social implications. The challenges have remained despite the efforts of government establishing centralized or groundwater systems, and/or having individual crude systems. A Tanzanian rural household case study was considered by assessing the performance of a currently relied surface runoff collecting pond system for domestic purposes. A daily water balance model was applied with performance parameters, no water days (NWD) and rainwater usage (RUR). Rooftop runoff harvesting system was proposed as a water supply source in addition to the current one. Under such dual supply conditions, users can meet the drinking and non-drinking demand even in dry seasons at a minimum of 2 and 20 L/person/d, respectively. For rainwater harvesting adoption (considering selected regions), it was further established that amount and variation in rainfall impacts on quantity available for meeting demand. Increased catchment implies increased harvestable quantity, and with same storage higher reduction of number of NWD although with slight decrease of RUR. Also, increased storage is required for achieving higher RUR in case the same demand is maintained. But same storage can be maintained for increased demand relative to catchment size. However, rainwater catchment increase has greater impact on meeting a specified demand under given condition of rainfall quantity and variation. The RWH technology strategies presented in this study are replicable in other developing countries under site specific conditions.

Magnetized Water and Memory Meter

This paper presents an experimental study to investigate the effect of using the magnetic water conditioner on the properties of water. The water flows through a closed loop, while the pH, TDS, and hardness represent its properties. For magnetic water conditioner with flux density of 170 mT, results showed that pH increased by 15.65% for 820 minutes of non-stop circulation. The increase in pH is divided to 93.5% for the first 360 minutes, and 6.5% for the last 460 minutes. TDS and Hardness of water are not affected by the magnetic water conditioner. Water remembers and keeps the impact of passing through the magnetic field for several hours, and pH decreased by 0.642 in24 hours. While the results lead to introduce and create the magnetized water saturation curve and water memory meter.

Using Double-Bounded Dichotomous-Choice to Estimate Households’ Willingness to Pay for Improved Water Quality in Bac Ninh Province of Vietnam

This study used double-bounded dichotomous-choice to estimate and analyze the factors affecting households’ willingness to pay (WTP) for water quality improvement. This study notes that households with higher income, living near a polluted water source, using tap water instead of natural water, who are handicraft producers, and who have more members, are willing to pay more. However, households who rarely hear about environmental pollution issues and who are offered a higher bid are more likely to refuse to pay. Solutions to improve water quality are suggested such as to raise people’s awareness through communication channels and social organizations;to increase income associated with environmental protection policies;to construct wastewater treatment plants;to encourage the relocation of production establishments to industrial parks and industrial complexes;to put regulations on collection, payment and sanctions in case of not declaring and paying fees into village conventions;to promulgate circulars, and bylaws to concretize and simplify regulations and policies of the Government and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Partitioning of Water Distribution Network into District Metered Areas Using Existing Valves

Water distribution network(WDN)leakage management has received increased attention in recent years.One of the most successful leakage-control strategies is to divide the network into District Metered Areas(DMAs).As a multi-staged technique,the generation of DMAs is a difficult task in design and implementation(i.e.,clustering,sectorization,and performance evaluation).Previous studies on DMAs implementation did not consider the potential use of existing valves in achieving the objective.In this work,a methodology is proposed for detecting clusters and reducing the cost of additional valves and DMA sectorization by considering existing valves as much as possible.The procedure of DMAs identification has been divided into three stages,i.e.,a)clusters identification;b)sectorization or boundaries optimization and c)performance evaluation of the partitioned network.The proposed methodology is evaluated on a simple network and a real-world water network with the findings provided and compared to the DMAs,established for a raw water network with no existing valves.It is found that there is an adequate difference in cost of strategy implementation in both the cases for the network under consideration and the existing valve system achieved better network performance in terms of resilience index.

Rapid Sample Product Trial Manufacture Technique for Developing Water Meter New Products

This paper advances the viewpoints and methods of the rapid sample product trial manufacture technique for developing water meter new products by CAD and simulation, computer virtual assembling and optimizing, rapid machining process and measurement etc. as the design and sample product trial manufacture process of water meter new products are long in product development period, and low in product development efficiency in the present time.

The Application and Simulation of Fuzzy Adaptive PID in Household Heating Metering System

After heat is metered in each house unit,the heating system is regulated by variable flow.The temperature of the return w ater is controlled to regulate the flow to realize the temperature regulation.According to the characteristics of the temperature control w ith big inertia,pure time-delay and degeneration,a fuzzy adaptive PID controller is designed w ith the advantages of the fuzzy control and PID algorithm,and the simulation model is established according to the characteristics of heating metering system.Simulation results show that the fuzzy adaptive PID controller proposed has small overshoot,short oscillation cycle,high precision and strong anti-jamming capability in comparison w ith conventional PID controller,w hich could meet the requirement of the dynamic and steady-state performance of the heating process.

Quality of Water Adjusted Sources and Storage in the Households of the Sanitized Villages in Area of National Program of Sanitized Schools and Villages at Tshopo Province in Republic Democratic of Congo

Introduction: The present research paper aims at assessing the bacteriological water quality in households and at provisioning points, and so factors of water deterioration. Method: a transverse study has been conducted during the period starting from 11 up to 28 October 2018 within 6 Health Zones (HZ) in Tshopo Province integrated in National Program of Schools and Sanitized Villages (NPSSV). Water samples have been collected within 300 reserves of households and 30 water provisioning and analysed points in order to find out water contamination factors. The frequencies and raw OR have been estimated at (p < 0.05) valued significative. Results: fecal coliforms (80% CI95: 75% - 85%) and total (97% CI95: 95% - 99%) were significantly present in water reserves and the presence of Escherichia coli were at about 27% (IC95 22% - 32%). These proportions were correspondingly at 63%, 90% and 10% at water provisioning. The fecal coliforms were the highest in water reserves of sanitized villages (p < 0.05) and Escherichia coli were at about three times higher in traditional sources (17% vs 6%). The duration of water conservation was around 48 hours and more (OR = 4.41;IC95: 1.92 - 10.11), water classification of sanitized risk “intermedium” and the recipients of conservation with bottleneck were associated with the presence of E.coli in water (p < 0.05). Conclusion: water from provisioning sources and household reserves are severely polluted and water quality is not good at consumption point and at provisioning point. The reinforcement of safety measures at water points, reduction of conservation length and hygienic water cleaning of storage water recipients are necessary to assure quality of water.

Climate Influenced Challenges of Accessibility to Water by Households Downstream of the Upper Benue River Basin-Nigeria

The study examined climate influenced challenges of accessibility to water by households downstream of the Upper Benue River Basin, Nigeria. Literatures related to the topic being investigated were reviewed. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population of the study consisted of communities in Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba states. Eight different communities, two in each local government were sampled for the study. Simple random and purposive samplings were used for the study. A total of 351 respondents were selected for the study using Krejcie and Morgan sample size determination. Data analysis was done using frequency tables percentages and mean statistics. The findings of the study showed that climate variability has great impact on water stress and threats to households’ downstream in Upper Benue River basin represented with a mean 3.85 (decrease in the quality and quantity of surface water) as well as 3.43 (drying up of rivers and lakes). The study also revealed that water stress induced by climate variability has a significant effect on household livelihoods represented by 87% of the respondents in the study area. It was also revealed that that households downstream the basin are vulnerable to climate change and households in the study area have development strategies to contend with water stress so as to better their livelihood among which is surface water harvesting (2.78), reducing the number of times dishes are washed (2.96), reducing the quantity of water used for bathing (3.0) among others. The study recommended that stakeholders and the government should make proactive efforts to ensuring that alternative water sources are established in the study area to reduce water stress among the rural populace.

Collaborative Efforts and Strategies for Cholera Outbreak Control in Garissa County, Kenya: Implementation of Water Quality Monitoring Interventions

A multi-faceted Case Area Targeted Intervention (CATI) approach emphasizing the integration of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions and Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) campaign was employed to respond to the outbreak of cholera in Garissa County. Drinking water sources in areas heavily impacted by cholera were systematically mapped and tested for microbiological quality. The quality assessment was carried out in April 2023 during an ongoing cholera outbreak in the county. A total of 109 samples were collected and tested for thermotolerant coliforms and other in situ parameters. The finding revealed that more than 87% of the samples did not meet the World Health Organization (WHO) standard for thermotolerant coliforms;and 30% had turbidity values above the recommended threshold values. None of the 109 samples had any traceable residual chlorine. Following these findings, the county government implemented the targeted interventions which resulted in a positive impact in the fight against cholera. The WHO supported key interventions which included capacity building in water quality monitoring and prepositioning of critical WASH commodities to the cholera affected areas.

Design and Application of Automatic Test System of Soil Water Characteristic Curve

[Objective] In order to better meet the requirement of crops on a more and more accurate water content under various planting environment of modern agri-culture, an automatic test system of soil water characteristic curve was designed by combining the conceptions of soil moisture content and soil water potential. [Method] Electronic soil moisture tension meter was used to determine the real-time tension value of soil moisture in the tested container, and the electronic Weigh sensor was used to determine soil Weigh. Minusing method was used to calculate soil moisture content, based on which the soil water characteristic curve was plotted. [Result] Through the filed survey of 2 different kinds of soil in Jiangsu Province, the results were as fol ows： soil of different composition showed different trend in soil water characteristic curve that the soil water characteristic relation of the sandy soil in the old course of the Yel ow River in Xuzhou was Y=-0.000 2X3＋0.027 7X2-1.644 5X＋38.161, R2=0.991 9; while the soil water characteristic relation of the saline-alkali soil in Jinhai Farm of Dafeng was Y=-0.00 2X2-0.426X＋39.905, R2=0.991 3. [Con-clusion] The automatic test system of soil water characteristic curve soil water char-acteristics curve could reflect soil moisture content and soil water potential, as wel as reflect the effectiveness of soil water to plant growth, providing basis for the sci-entific irrigation.

影响横向力系数测试系统MU METER MK6准确性的原因分析与对策

为提高MU METER MK6测试数据的准确性,对影响MU METER MK6测试精确度的因素进行了分析,提出了在实际检测过程中应采取的对策。

Improving Self-Supply of Urban Water and Sanitation Projects through Microfinancing in Nigeria

Most water and sanitation projects in poor neighbourhood of urban Nigeria are executed through self-supply option. This is defined as an incremental improvement of WASH products e.g. water and sanitation structures by a household or small group of households which are financed by their own effort and investment. It is indeed a concept which complements conventional water supply and sanitation funded by government. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to investigate the extent of the use of innovative financing especially group saving approach to improve water and sanitation projects in Awka town, Nigeria. Towards achieving the aim, data were collected through questionnaires which were designed and administered on the respondents between January and April, 2016 and from other secondary sources. Data were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis and Component scores to establish the extent of the use of this option in the 9 component quarters of the town. Result shows that some quarters have perfected using the self-supply option while in others, it is yet to be widely accepted. It is finally recommended among others that the urban water policy as well as urban water safety plan should be revised to include the option as a way of improving domestic water supply and sanitation in the town.

Impacts of Aquaculture and Domestic Wastewater on the Water Quality of Santubong River, Malaysia

Developments along the Santubong River basin may have an impact on the aquatic ecosystem. To determine the impacts of activities on the water quality, ten stations were selected for water quality study over 9 months. Results show that salinity increases from 14.0 PSU upstream to 30.4 PSU downstream. Lowest DO range was 2.3-4.1 mg/L. TSS ranged was 20-135 mg/L and the highest was observed near construction and residential areas, the second and third highest near shrimp culture discharge areas. BOD5 was the highest near construction and residential areas. BOD5 of a station near shrimp culture was not significantly different from the residential areas. Two stations near shrimp culture site also recorded the highest Chl-a. The highest ammonia-nitrogen, nitrite-nitrogen and reactive phosphorus were observed at stations near shrimp farm sites whereas nitrate-nitrogen was the highest near construction and residential areas. Cage culture site showed the highest phosphorus and second highest nitrite-nitrogen and ammonia-nitrogen. This study showed that TSS and BOD5 were elevated near residential and construction areas and nutrients were elevated near shrimp farm sites resulting in algal bloom. Therefore, it is recommended that residential and shrimp farm discharge be treated to acceptable quality before discharge to protect the aquatic resources.

Radioactive Contaminants in U.S. Drinking Water and Water Quality Disparities

Radioactive contaminants, such as radium, radon, and uranium isotopes are naturally present in drinking water, and gas and oil extraction like hydraulic fracturing can exasperate radionuclide leakage into groundwater. The concentration of radionuclide in drinking water is dependent upon the water source and the underlying lithology within the aquifers. In United States, the Environmental Protection Agency regulates the level of radioactivity in drinking water via the gross alpha test, which is conducted to measure the emitted alpha particles as a result of the radioactive elements’ natural decay. Radionuclides, such as radium and uranium, are known to cause bone cancer and other forms of cancer. Communities with crippling water purification infrastructure may be at a higher risk of being exposed to radionuclides, and this is a significant environmental justice concern. The radionuclide concentrations for the metropolitan or most populated city in each state in the United States and its territories (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Guam) were analyzed and correlated to the annual household income, to determine any disparities that maybe present. Lower income communities had elevated levels of radionuclides when compared to higher income communities which had lower frequency in elevated radionuclide contaminants.

The Dynamics of Domestic Water Vending in Enugu North L.G.A of Enugu State, Nigeria

The present investigation provides a case study of water vending in Enugu North Local Government Area, Enugu State of South Eastern Nigeria. Questionnaire copies were randomly distributed in the study area to 200 households. Data obtained from the field were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test. The analysis revealed that almost all the residents of Enugu North L.G.A. obtain their water from independent water vending systems which are operated by the private sector. Tanker truck, distributing and small retail water vendors all operate in the study area. There are an estimated number of 250 tanker truck drivers serving Enugu North L.G.A. Approximately 35 tanker trucks serve Hill- top/Udi siding ward, while there are a total of 52 retail vendors in Onuasata ward. Majority of the respondents are low income earners who spend within the ranges of NGN500 ($3.33) and NGN1500 ($10) a month on water on the average. 50.0 percent of these respondents opined that vended water was expensive. Of the respondents, 49.4 percent consumed 91 - 100 litres per capita per day, which is less than the 120 litres per capita per day recommended by the Federal Re- public of Nigeria’s National water supply and sanitation policy document of 2000. This deficit can be attributed to the cost of vended water. From the chi-square test, there is significant difference in the unit cost of water sold by vendors in the various wards in Enugu North L.G.A. In the absence of regular water provision through pipe-connections from the public utility, water vending should be supported but regulated. Meeting the water and sanitation target and optimizing water resources for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 will require a dramatic scaling up of joint efforts by the state government and the people in ensuring that vendors provide safe water at a low cost.

Vietnam’s Future Water Usage Model: A Controlled Living Experiment

The purpose of this study was to explore the water usage profile of future Vietnamese households by carrying out a controlled living experiment with Vietnamese high-income households. By studying showering time, flow rate and toilet-use frequency of these households, the study revealed the water usage believed to be representative of future households in light of continued urbanization. This study also determined that the average time of showering was 9.7 minutes per person per day with an average flow rate of 12 L/minute for the existing shower head and 6.6 L/minute for the water-saving shower head. Toilet usage frequency was 5.25 times per person per day, and there was no difference with the results for an average (middle-income) household.

Survey on Storage of Water for Domestic Use in Underground Reinforced Concrete Tanks: The Case of Brazzaville (Republic of Congo)

The problem of water supply from the public distribution network still poses very serious problems in many cities in developing countries. Intermittent water supply pushes some households to build underground reinforced concrete tanks for water storage to cope with unwanted water breaks. This study that relies on the results of a survey of households in some areas of the city of Brazzaville (Republic of Congo) aims to verify the importance that users attach to the quality of the works constructed. Indeed, the reliability of the tanks resulting in their impermeability to the external environment has a direct impact on the quality of stored water and therefore the use that is made of water daily. Five areas were selected because of their soil moisture. By 256 tanks identified, 143 are made of reinforced concrete and 113 in masonry. The coating materials used to seal the walls are preferably the earthenware tiles (64% of tanks), then the Sika cement (31%). Food painting (5%) is only rarely used. However, 66% of households are not assured of the potability of the water stored. A significant number of households (46%) think that the stored water could be contaminated with noxious substances seeping from the outside through the walls of the tanks. The issue of sealing of underground water tanks, especially in areas where the water table is shallow, seems concerned users.

Water, Air Emissions, and Cost Impacts of Air-Cooled Microturbines for Combined Cooling, Heating, and Power Systems： A Case Study in the Atlanta Region

The increasing pace of urbanization means that cities and global organizations are looking for ways to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions. Combined cooling, heating, and power （CCHP） systems have the potential to improve the energy generation efficiency of a city or urban region by providing energy for heating, cooling, and electricity simultaneously. The purpose of this study is to estimate the water consumption for energy generation use, carbon dioxide （CO2） and NOx emissions, and economic impact of implementing CCHP systems for five generic building types within the Atlanta metropolitan region, under various operational scenarios following the building thermal （heating and cooling） demands. Operating the CCHP system to follow the hourly thermal demand reduces CO2 emissions for most building types both with and without net metering. The system can be economically beneficial for all building types depending on the price of natural gas, the implementation of net metering, and the cost structure assumed for the CCHP system. The greatest reduction in water consumption for energy production and NOx emissions occurs when there is net metering and when the system is operated to meet the maximum yearly thermal demand, although this scenario also results in an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and, in some cases, cost. CCHP systems are more economical for medium office, large office, and multifamilv residential buildings.

Water Quality and Loading of Pollutants from Shrimp Ponds during Harvesting

Shrimp aquaculture is an important source of revenue for the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. However, there were concerns on the impact of shrimp farming on the mangrove ecosystem due to the discharge of shrimp pond water to the surrounding environment and potential self-pollution through the intake of surrounding water for the shrimp ponds. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the water quality of the harvesting pond water and quantify the pollutants loadings. Samplings were conducted in three ponds and three channels near the pond outflow in a commercial shrimp farm during complete draining of water at harvest. Results indicated that TSS and Chl-a were high in both the ponds and channels. Total ammonia-nitrogen was the predominant form of the inorganic nitrogen and the mean values in both the ponds and channels were more than 1 mg/L which exceeded the maximum recommended for fish. Therefore, the water quality of the ponds and channel indicate that pond effluent should not be discharged directly into the surrounding environment but treated and nutrients recovered. Loads of total suspended solids, BODs, inorganic nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, soluble reactive phosphorus and Chl-a of the effluent were quantified.