The City of Nagpur entered a 25-year contract with Veolia Water India to operate and maintain potable water services, including supplying water, refurbishing and replacing aging infrastructure, and expanding the overall system. To execute this initiative, Orange City Water (OCW) was formed as a joint venture between Veolia Water India and Vishvaraj Environment Ltd.
The project required a comprehensive understanding of the city’s water distribution system to support long-term operational improvements. The existing network faced inefficiencies in supply distribution, including low-pressure zones and unoptimized supply patterns. Additionally, the system needed to be restructured to support the transition toward continuous 24/7 water supply, which required careful planning of distribution zones, storage operations, and supply scheduling.
Given the scale and complexity of the system, OCW needed a solution capable of accurately analyzing system behavior and supporting data-driven decision-making to optimize both infrastructure and operations.
To address these challenges, OCW developed a hydraulic model of the entire water distribution system using WaterGEMS, enabling detailed simulation and analysis of system performance under various conditions.
Using insights from the model, the team restructured the distribution network by redefining supply areas, forming subzones, and establishing district metering areas to improve control and monitoring of water flow. They also optimized supply patterns by rescheduling the filling and operation of elevated storage reservoirs, ensuring more efficient distribution across the network.
This modeling-driven approach provided a clear understanding of system dynamics, allowing OCW to identify inefficiencies, evaluate operational scenarios, and implement targeted improvements to enhance network performance and reliability.
The implementation of hydraulic modeling enabled OCW to effectively address low-pressure zones and improve the overall efficiency of the water distribution system. These improvements supported the city’s progression toward achieving continuous 24/7 water supply.
Additionally, the use of WaterGEMS significantly accelerated project planning and execution. OCW was able to prepare a comprehensive rehabilitation plan within one-and-a-half years, reducing the timeline by one full year compared to traditional methods.
The project demonstrated how digital modeling can enhance operational planning, improve system performance, and support long-term infrastructure development for large-scale urban water networks.
