Sewer inspection with CCTV, Smoke and Dye test in Kosovo

Wastewater by households but also by industries are considered as the main pollutants of surface and groundwater in Kosovo. In order to improve the environment, Kosovo has entered into a dynamic process of treatment of municipal wastewater from urban areas. Wastewater treatment plant for cities of Prizren, Gjakova and Peja are under construction. Cities such as Prishtina, Gjilan, Mitrovica, and Podujeva are also in the initial process. In order for a better management of the water that will go to the treatment system, an inspection of the sewerage network is necessary. The methodology selected for inspection in the cities of Prizren, Gjakova and Peja includes the cleaning following by the inspection of the condition of the pipes with CCTV. Also inspections with smoke and dye test were mainly for finding of the wrong connections in the sewerage network from stormwater pipe. High resolution cameras are used to inspect pipes made of various materials such as Ceramics, Concrete ,Asbestos Cement and HDPE with diameters from 150 to 1000 mm. For each of the three cities, approximately 20 km were inspected with CCTV and equally with smoke and dye test. Inspection results indicate a poor condition of sewer pipes. From filling with sediments, in some cases even over 70% of the diameter to numerous defects in the connection between the pipes causing also the penetration of groundwater into the network. Pipes from ceramic material are considered to be in a very poor condition in Gjakova while in Prizren sediment deposition is very high in many areas. Also, direct connections to the sewerage pipes are present in large numbers in Peja and Prizren, while less in Gjakova. Inspection also indicate a poor installation in the construction phase, which is also expressed in pipes that are not very old. The results of the investigations show that immediate steps must be taken to improve the operation of the sewerage system. This includes a general cleaning of the sewer pipes, a planned maintenance system with a plan for cleaning yearly. It is also necessary to make a hydraulic analysis of the whole system and replace certain segments of sewer pipes. Disconnection of stormwater that is connected to the sewerage network must be done and correction of wrong connections and direct connections to pipes. These activities are necessary to be done in the sewerage network because there is a risk that wastewater treatment plants will not be able to treat wastewater according to the defined criteria of the technological process.