Abstract

In addressing the challenges posed by outdated and insufficiently documented urban drainage, irrigation, and storm systems, this study aims to revolutionize urban infrastructure through digitalization. Leveraging insights from 25 invited experts representing various organizations, including highway committees, city administration, and city improvement departments, the research focuses on the city of Tashkent. Employing geodesic methodologies, the team meticulously documented the locations and conditions of underground facilities, utilizing city maps and visual aids provided by specialists. The resulting digital database, curated by geodesists, identifies responsible personnel, object types, and areas requiring attention. This innovative initiative not only fills crucial knowledge gaps but also lays the foundation for enhanced maintenance strategies and resource optimization, offering a paradigm shift in urban planning and management.

Highlights:

• Comprehensive Digital Mapping: The study employs advanced geodesic techniques to create a detailed digital map of aging drainage, irrigation, and storm systems, offering a comprehensive overview of their current conditions.

• Knowledge Integration from Diverse Experts: Gathering insights from 25 experts across various organizations, the research consolidates valuable information on underground facilities, enabling a holistic understanding of the urban infrastructure challenges.

• Strategic Resource Optimization: The resulting digital database not only identifies critical maintenance areas but also assigns responsibility, paving the way for strategic resource allocation and efficient urban infrastructure management.

Keyword: Urban Infrastructure, Digitalization, Drainage Systems, Geodesic Mapping, Resource Optimization

Introduction

From an engineering point of view, drainage, irrigation and storm systems are the most difficult part of urban infrastructure. Their digitalization helps to create comfortable living conditions and save a large part of the budget. The fact is that some of the system's facilities are underground. When built in the 1970s and 1980s, the layouts of these facilities had limited griffons and were designed for service only. Organizations that maintain these schemes have not yet revised the necks. We realized that there was no new information and started collecting it ourselves. For this, experts from all organizations related to irrigation, drainage and storm systems of Tashkent were invited. There are 25 of them! Among them, there are 3 organizations within the highway committee, 2 organizations within the city administration, 8 organizations within the General Administration of Tashkent City Improvement, and 12 organizations within the district improvement departments. Specialists of these organizations showed where ditches, collectors, canals, hydroposts and other objects responsible for them are located. Someone brought their pictures, someone showed them on the city map. Kobil Karimboev, geodesist of the department, entered all data into the database and indicated on digital maps the persons responsible for plots, types of objects, destroyed parts of networks and other information [1].

Methods

When Tashkent was built 2000 years ago, people chose this place because it is convenient for farming. We have a good topography that allows water to flow through the whole city in one direction - from northeast to southwest. The people who founded Tashkent dug a special canal to supply the population with water. We call this channel Bozsu. It is fed by the water of Chirchik river. In Tashkent, Bozsu is divided into many ditches to irrigate the fields. Outside the city, they join another artery and flow into the Syrdarya. This irrigation system remained almost unchanged until the 1960s. After the 1966 earthquake, the construction of drainage and storm networks began in the city, and domestic sewage was reconstructed. Everyone knows what domestic sewage is. Let's deal with other terms. The irrigation network is available for irrigation and is needed for watering green areas. The drainage system is necessary to maintain the level of underground water at an acceptable level. Their level rises when precipitation soaks into the soil. If the water is close to the surface, the soil becomes saline. This has a negative impact on buildings and green cover. Conversely, if the groundwater level falls below normal, perennial trees may wither. Drains are mainly of two types: horizontal and vertical. A horizontal drain is a trench that is well below the ground level, so water can enter the drain and flow through it. Sometimes pipes with holes are laid and buried in these trenches. Water enters pipes through these holes and then flows into large, often underground trenches called collectors. Vertical drainage is similar to an artesian well. Difference in well depth: artesian well is deeper. The pipe is lowered into the ground, a deep pump is installed. It pumps the water up and the water level in the soil around this plant goes down [2].

Result and Discussions

During rainfall, the irrigation system and the drainage network are used to remove water, because it does not choose which network is storm and which irrigation network. He chooses his path according to the laws of physics. But there are areas of the city where rainwater cannot drain by gravity into collectors or canals. As a rule, its path is blocked by man-made structures or the micro-relief of the area. Storm sewers are being built in such areas. It consists of concrete trays, collectors, pumping stations, etc.

Figure 1.

12th quarter of Chilonzar. A 1965 photo (left) shows the channel passing through here. In 2016, an L-shaped building (with a gray roof) was built at the intersection. Drainage and irrigation networks and storm drains are very difficult to design and build. For this, it is necessary to conduct engineering studies and create an accurate topographical plan of the land, taking into account all underground communications and reliefs. in the balance of 25 organizations related to these systems: 60 km of drains, 206 km of collectors, 533 km of ditches and canals, 1213 km of irrigation trays. Another 18 km of structures are storm sewer facilities. we were able to obtain our data based on the results of the inventory conducted with the experts of these organizations. As far as possible, we checked these objects using maps from 1977 and 1992. Lips can and do exist on paper, but how on earth? Who did the inventory and when? Is there a map with 1500 km trays? In addition, we found that 5.8 km of collectors and 28.3 km of ditches of Tashkent are without owners. These are sites that everyone knows, but no one is responsible for their service. Perhaps these organizations were the owners of their balance sheet, but to date they have forgotten about it for some reason. [3] There are also sites where different parts are serviced by different organizations. Therefore, there are difficulties in maintenance. Trays in the courtyards of apartment buildings and neighborhoods are a separate topic. They are not on the balance sheet of the above organizations. Previously, the trays near the apartment buildings were maintained by the housing and exploitation departments (housing and communal management). These were state organizations financed by the state budget. Can neighborhoods and FVVLARs today include these facilities and, if necessary, build them? the reasons are different. We collect information about flooded areas after each rain. We receive information on social media, from crowdsourced reports, and from flood relief services.

The location of the flood is indicated on the map according to the point system: the greater the extent of the flood, the greater the indicator; the more often that place floods, the redder the circle

Figure 2.

Whenever possible, we try to attach a photo to each problem. In addition, we show the amount of precipitation. The municipality has 10 weather stations. Now two of them (in the park of "new Uzbekistan" and in the Friendship of Peoples) are equipped with a sensor that updates the precipitation data every hour in millimeters. For example, on April 2, 24 mm of rain fell in 4 hours—one third of the monthly average [4].

Figure 3. Information of weather stations in the People's Friendship Square

All sewage treatment plants that discharge water from domestic sewage are home to bacteria that treat sewage. They feed on faecal waste and turn to mud when they die. This is a natural process of cleaning domestic sewage. In addition, thanks to the work of these bacteria, purified and settled water can be poured into the canals.

Figure 4.Orange line-domestic sewer, green-concrete trays, red-storm sewer pipe.

All sewage treatment plants that discharge water from domestic sewage are home to bacteria that treat sewage. They feed on faecal waste and turn to mud when they die. This is a natural process of cleaning domestic sewage. In addition, thanks to the work of these bacteria, purified and settled water can be poured into the canals. In order for bacteria to live, there must be a certain concentration of fecal waste in the sewage. And if the water concentration exceeds the permissible values, nothing will happen to the bacteria. Thus, the sewage treatment process is disrupted. There is no channel on one side of the intersection. During the construction of the private sector, it was simply filled. On April 2nd, during the rain, the channel overflowed to the existing side and the water flowed into the street because it had nowhere else to flow [5].

The principle of operation of the simulation model for the storm system is similar to the transport model. We will place on it a map of the city's relief, all the information we have about irrigation-drainage and storm systems, we will reflect the development of the city in the horizon of 5-10-15-20-30 years.

The model shows where the water will flow and how much volume the network can handle. For each period, we select different scenarios for the amount and intensity of precipitation. The model shows what will happen to the city and what needs to be done to prevent flooding of Tashkent, that is, the model suggests different solutions. Somewhere you need to build a collector, somewhere - change the pipe from 500 mm to 1000 mm, somewhere - install or upgrade pumps.

Figure 5.Parts of the channel filled during construction are marked with a dotted line.

Conclusion

From an engineering standpoint, urban drainage, irrigation, and storm systems pose intricate challenges, particularly considering their underground nature. The digitalization of these systems emerges as a pivotal solution to enhance urban living conditions and optimize budget utilization. Notably, the historical layouts from the 1970s and 1980s lacked comprehensive features and were primarily service-oriented. In response to the dearth of updated information, a comprehensive data collection initiative was undertaken, involving experts from 25 organizations associated with irrigation, drainage, and storm systems in Tashkent. This collaborative effort facilitated the mapping of crucial infrastructure components, identification of responsible entities, and documentation of network vulnerabilities. The recognition of the role of sewage treatment plants in maintaining ecological balance further underscores the importance of sustainable infrastructure practices. Additionally, the implementation of a simulation model for storm systems, akin to transport models, represents a forward-thinking approach. The model's ability to forecast water flow, assess network capacity, and propose preventive measures demonstrates its potential for effective urban planning. As an implication, this study suggests the need for ongoing monitoring, maintenance, and adaptive strategies to address evolving urban infrastructure needs. Further research could explore the long-term effectiveness of the proposed solutions, considering changing climate patterns and urban development scenarios. In conclusion, the integration of digital technologies and collaborative efforts is crucial for addressing the complexities of urban infrastructure, offering sustainable solutions that necessitate continuous evaluation and adaptation in the face of dynamic urban environments.

References

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