A. Maintenance objectives
The importance of an adequate system for maintenance of the
drainage system cannot be overemphasised if the system is to operate at its
design capacity. If rubbish and silt are allowed to accumulate in channels and
rivers, these facilities will not be capable of satisfactorily fulfilling their
primary function - the removal of stormwater run-off. If the inlets into the
drainage system from roads are not regularly cleared, they will become blocked
and stormwater will be prevented from entering drains, so causing local
flooding. The objective of a maintenance programme should, therefore, be to keep
the drainage system operating dependably, at its design capacity, without
breakdowns.
Protection of the capital investment in the drainage system
necessitates a planned programme of inspection and routine clearing. Periodic,
thorough and competent inspection while cleaning will reveal points at which
damage begins to take place. Adequate financial and labour resources must be
allocated to ensure successful drainage operation and maintenance. It is
therefore necessary for drainage authorities, usually the local government, to
ensure that maintenance is accorded a sufficiently high priority in the
allocation of funds in annual budgets.
The objectives of carrying out the maintenance programme should
be to:
(a) Keep the system operating at design standard at
all times;
(b) Obtain the longest life and greatest use of the systems
facilities by providing adequate maintenance and timely repairs;
(c) Achieve the foregoing two objectives at the lowest possible
cost.
The history of drainage is full of examples of the difficulties
which can occur when maintenance is neglected. Even the best constructed system
will eventually fail if adequate maintenance is not undertaken.
Maintenance activity should begin the day the system is placed
in operation or, under some circumstances, prior to completion of a system and
before the system is placed into operation. Keeping maintenance work current on
all facilities in a system is the keystone to any successful drainage
enterprise.
There are two primary concepts of maintenance of public
property, and most maintenance operations can be readily classified into one of
these categories:
(a) Maintenance by necessity;
(b) Preventive
maintenance.
“Maintenance by necessity” refers to the practice of
“fixing it when it breaks down”. Under this approach cleaning of
drains is confined to the minimum necessary to satisfy complaints. Likewise,
repair work is undertaken only when a condition becomes so bad that it must be
corrected or repaired to restore service or for safety reasons. Unfortunately,
this approach is all too common in rapidly growing cities where the funds for
routine maintenance are inadequate.
“Preventive maintenance” is represented by a
systematic programme of inspection, cleaning and repair that reduces breakdowns
and complaints to a minimum. Preventive maintenance not only pays dividends in
economical operation; a smooth working system also means uninterrupted removal
of water at lower cost with reduced risk of damage from flooding as a result of
design storms.
Preventive maintenance also has other distinct advantages:
(a) It can be scheduled and performed on a regular
basis at times that least disrupt other operations functions;
(b) Pre-ordered parts can be made more readily available; they
may not be so readily available under emergency conditions;
(c) Work can be carried out during normal working hours with
less emphasis on extension of hours and weekend work;
(d) More experienced personnel can be used if the work is
scheduled; they may not be available in emergencies;
(e) Special tasks of preventive maintenance may be contracted
out to reduce the need to carry a specialist
workforce.
