11 V May 2023

https://doi.org/10.22214/ijraset.2023.53012
 International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)
ISSN: 2321-9653; IC Value: 45.98; SJ Impact Factor: 7.538
Volume 11 Issue V May 2023- Available at www.ijraset.com

A Smart Manhole Monitoring and Detection

System
Ashutosh Singh1, Kartikeya Mishra2, Sourav Kumar3, Chandra Shankar4
1, 2, 3, 4
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, JSS Academy of Technical Education Noida, India

Abstract: An intelligent manhole cover management system is a crucial foundation in a smart city to effectively prevent frequent
accidents related to manhole covers. Proper management of the drainage system is essential for ensuring the safety of residents.
Regular inspections alone can lead to flooding and blockages in the drainage system. The displacement, relocation, and
deterioration of manhole covers pose serious risks to personal safety, which contradicts the goals of smart city development. The
system incorporates multiple sensors to monitor the status of manholes, including detecting lid openings, cover theft, and
temperature variations. Additionally, this paper aims to analyze real-time levels of toxic gases. If the gas levels exceed the
predetermined threshold, alerts will be sent to the authorized individuals through their connected mobile devices, even if they
are remotely located.
Keywords: IOT (Internet of Things), smart city, manhole, sensors.

I. INTRODUCTION
Technology has significantly impacted various fields today. In modern cities, critical systems like the electrical grid, network, and
drainage are located underground. Manhole covers are installed in pavements to facilitate access to these systems. However,
accidents resulting from the displacement, loss, and damage of manhole covers are common, endangering lives and safety as
vehicles and individuals may fall into these uncovered holes [1]. This undermines the fundamental purpose of smart cities. To
ensure the well-being of sanitation workers who face health risks, an IoT system and network have been developed to detect harmful
gases, including methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), ammonia (NH4), and SO2, among others. Failure to properly
decontaminate sewage when it reaches hazardous levels can lead to accidents and illnesses, such as influenza and dysentery, caused
by prolonged exposure to toxic gases and pollutants.
Additionally, the status of manhole covers, including damage or loss, is typically assessed through periodic inspections conducted
by government officials and reports from individuals on the road. However, these inspections require significant human resources to
cover a large number of manhole covers in a city, and they do not provide real-time performance [2].
Addressing the issue of manhole cover theft is challenging without a monitoring mechanism for conventional covers. Moreover,
since different types of manholes may belong to different governmental organizations, thefts not only result in public property losses
but also increase the risk of exposed holes. These pressing challenges have prompted the development of intelligent systems to
manage all manhole covers in a city, particularly in smart cities [3],[4].
An effective intelligent manhole cover management system should possess the following features:
1) Self-perception: Each manhole cover should have the ability to detect if it is slanted, damaged, or displaced, as well as
determine its location.
2) Active real-time alerts: Manhole covers should be capable of actively alarming in real time when they are tilted, damaged, or
relocated.
3) Real-time response: The intelligent management system should promptly respond to manhole cover alerts and enable real-time
scheduling of repair personnel.
4) Low management expenses: The intelligent system aims to reduce costs associated with human resources, bandwidth, and
energy consumption.
5) Short average repair time: The primary objective is to minimize the risk of falling into uncovered manholes by significantly
reducing the average repair time for tilted, damaged, or displaced covers.
The aforementioned approach enables minute-by-minute tracking and monitoring of variables, ensuring comprehensive electronic
surveillance of gases, sewage pollutants, and discharge through gutters. This robust system contributes to efficient sanitation
management, addressing the shortcomings of previous solutions.

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 International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)
ISSN: 2321-9653; IC Value: 45.98; SJ Impact Factor: 7.538
Volume 11 Issue V May 2023- Available at www.ijraset.com

II. LITERATURE REVIEW

In the existing literature, several smart drainage systems have been proposed. For instance, V. Vani [5] introduced an IoT and
Zigbee WSN based system that utilizes ultrasonic and flow sensors to detect drainage leakage and overflow. One of the advantages
of this system is its ability to detect water clogging in pipes in advance, thereby preventing public issues and reducing revenue loss
for the government. Notably, this system does not require human labor for clog detection.
Another model discussed in Ref. [6] addresses the problem of diseases caused by obstructed drains in various locations in
Bangladesh. The proposed system utilizes both GSM and WiFi modules, and the threshold values can be adjusted based on the size
and water flowing capacity of the manhole system in different areas.
In Ref. [7], a model focuses on accurately locating manholes by utilizing a GPS system and GSM module for alert messages through
the cellular network. The system employs an ARM7 microcontroller and various sensors.
Ref. [8] proposes a model that continuously monitors environmental parameters within the drainage system. When sensor values
exceed the threshold limit, an alarm is triggered to indicate unsafe working conditions for the workers. The collected data is also
transmitted through a communication channel, significantly reducing the threat to the lives of sewage workers.
According to Muragesh SK and Santhosha Rao [9], sensors and networks are critical components of IoT systems, and they are
implemented in underground engineering drafting and manhole monitoring systems (UDMS) used in IoT applications.
Ref. [10] presents a model for monitoring smart cities to enhance management and development. The system comprises sensors that
collect various types of data, which are then transferred to the Raspberry Pi3 controller. The output from the controller is sent to the
control room via email and displayed on a personal computer.
In Ref. [11], different methods for monitoring and managing underground drainage and manhole systems are proposed. Real-time
monitoring and updates of parameters such as temperature, toxic gases, flow, and water level are achieved using the Internet of
Things.
Ref. [12] introduces a method for localizing and monitoring all manholes using 3D surveillance with the help of traffic cameras.
A system based on IoT for sewage blockage detection is proposed in Ref. [13]. This system continuously monitors the water level of
sewage using ultrasonic sensors and also measures the level of H2S gas with an alert threshold of 100 ppm. Data from the system's
microprocessor is transmitted to the host using LoRa.
In the project titled "Web-Based Realtime Underground Drainage or Sewage Monitoring System Using Wireless Sensor Networks"
[14], the focus is on implementing a system that gathers data on temperature, gaseous concentration, and the condition of manhole
lids.
Ref. [15] presents a model that monitors ownerless manhole covers through RFID, tracking their tilt and other aspects. This
approach aims to mitigate the increasing theft of manhole covers by transmitting the location of manholes through the nearest
communication tower, thereby ensuring constant confirmation of their whereabouts.
The detection and monitoring of clogged pipelines using an acoustic analysis method is proposed in Ref. [16]. The frequency
response of the pipeline is analyzed using common techniques like Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to extract relevant features. This
approach provides highly accurate data by filtering out irrelevant information.
In Ref. [17], a machine learning method is proposed to specifically address the challenge of lid opening detection in manholes and
its monitoring.
Table 1: Summary of Literature Literatures

References Advantages Limitations

[1] Detection of Human presence The system has high electricity
near open demand, which make it less
manhole helps in prevention of desirable in developing
accident countries.
[2] In built replaceable battery with Response time is much higher
life than the prior versions
up to 3-5 years, Self-Perceptive
RFID

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 International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)
ISSN: 2321-9653; IC Value: 45.98; SJ Impact Factor: 7.538
Volume 11 Issue V May 2023- Available at www.ijraset.com

[3] Correct scene state of manhole Communication distance of

covers can be estimated by the system was very less.
MCIMT algorithm and
the response time is quicker
(under 3s)
[4] Assisting sewage employees to Sensor’s life was
check blockage through camera exponentially decreased due to
attached to continuous exposure to
Raspberry PI corrosive nature of sewage.
[5] Clogs in drainage pipes can be --
detected as soon as its formed.
[6] Harmful gases, Drainage --
overflow were monitored with
website which can be accesed by
local people also to avoid
corruption
[7] Cost effective for sewer pipeline It focus only on sewer pipeline
maintenance damage and not on
other problems of smart
monitoring system
[8] Monitoring system is OCR and It doesn’t focuses on manhole
pysttsx3 based which is made cover monitoring
considering blind people
[9] Addresses all phases of the Due to widening variety of
practical development of an applications, it is difficult to
underground Drainage and define common requirements
Manhole System (UDMS) for the WSN modes
[10] Multiple usages in smart city
perspectives like garbage level
detection, water distribution
supply
[11] System also consists of GPS System uses only GSM
sensor which help in locating the Module , there is no Wi-Fi
accurate manhole module it means there must
always be network
connectivity
[12] Only mapping was proposed

[13] Use of LoRa(Long Ranged) Multiple gateway of

protocol which can have range communication using LoRa
upto 100km can cause interferenc
[14] Low Power Usage and effective Light Sensor is used for layout
algorithm is used of manhole,is of no use during
night time
[15] Ownerless Manhole covers to be High maintenance cost.
constantly monitored via real
time pictures and alarm to know
whenever a manhole disappeared
or removed.

©IJRASET: All Rights are Reserved | SJ Impact Factor 7.538 | ISRA Journal Impact Factor 7.894 | 6474
 International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)
ISSN: 2321-9653; IC Value: 45.98; SJ Impact Factor: 7.538
Volume 11 Issue V May 2023- Available at www.ijraset.com

[16] FFT technique was used to Only covered the concern of

extract features from the clogged pipelines and not
frequency response of the others issues.
pipeline. Data was highly
accurate and inconsiderable data
were removed.
[17] Recurrent Neural Network High setup and maintenance
(RNN) is implemented which has cost for small scale
high accuracy rate of 98% and implementation.
high false negative detection.

III. PROPOSED M
The IOT-based system mainly records four values (as shown in Fig. 1): Tilt value, temperature values, gas detection, and finally
water level. The system uses an ultrasonic sensor to detect the water level, a gas sensor (MQ9) to detect the concentration of the
harmful gas carbon monoxide, a temperature sensor (DHT 11) to detect the humidity and temperature, and an accelerometer to
monitor the tilt values.
A circuit diagram (as shown in Fig. 4) is created to check the working of IOT based model. The connections are made as per the real
hardware model to check for its working. The data collected by the sensors is sent wirelessly to the central control system using two
technologies: GSM and WiFi using a GSM module and an Esp 8266 WiFi module (as shown in Fig. 3).
WiFi is used for continuous monitoring and control of data. Data is sent from the sensors over a WiFi network to a local device,
which can be a cell phone or a server. For the proposed system, we have used Blynk IOT server.
When the WiFi module is connected to the Internet, it can send data to the Blynk IOT server by using a special set of rules called
Blynk API. The module uses the API to communicate with the server and sends data in small pieces called packets, so sometimes
there is a delay in the information. However, in our proposed system, this delay is carefully reduced to a minimum. The Blynk
server fetches the data and sends it to the relevant authority in the form of both an app and a website. This means that monitoring is
possible anywhere if an internet connection is available.

Fig. 1 Block Diagram of the System

The GSM module is used to transmit data via a mobile network. Data is first collected by the microcontroller unit (MCU) and then
sent to the GSM module through a serial communication interface. In the proposed system, the GSM module is only used to display
warning messages when the values set for each sensor exceed their limit.The exceeding of the sensor values also triggers a buzzer so
that the cleaners working nearby can take the necessary actions themselves. The data is also displayed on LCD connected to the
main unit, which makes it easier for workers to monitor it.

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 International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)
ISSN: 2321-9653; IC Value: 45.98; SJ Impact Factor: 7.538
Volume 11 Issue V May 2023- Available at www.ijraset.com

Fig. 2 Circuit Diagram of the System

Fig. 3 IOT based Manhole System

IV. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

Once the system is connected to the power supply, LCD immediately begins to display the various values of the environment. There
are four parameters displayed on LCD (temperature, humidity, gas concentration and water level value) (see Fig. 4).

Fig. 4 LCD display shownig various readings

Whenever a threshold is reached for a particular parameter, we receive a warning SMS (as shown in Fig. 5). The tilt sensor operates
between -5 degrees and +5 degrees without warning, and the overflow warning is detected when the water level exceeds 50%.

©IJRASET: All Rights are Reserved | SJ Impact Factor 7.538 | ISRA Journal Impact Factor 7.894 | 6476
 International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)
ISSN: 2321-9653; IC Value: 45.98; SJ Impact Factor: 7.538
Volume 11 Issue V May 2023- Available at www.ijraset.com

Fig. 5 Alert Messages through SMS

Whatever the changes, they are also displayed via the Blynk IOT app with very little delay (as shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7). In both
images, one from LCD and the other from the Blynk IOT app, exactly the same values are displayed.

Fig. 6 LCD display shownig various readings

Fig. 7 Realtime Values over Blynk IOT app

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 International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)
ISSN: 2321-9653; IC Value: 45.98; SJ Impact Factor: 7.538
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V. DATA TABLE
Table 2: Datasets for GAS concentration

GAS LEVEL SMS

0 < value <= 100 No

100 < value <= 300 No

Value > 500 Yes

If the level of gas changes, then value will be changed in real-time over the Blynk App and if the less than 700 its normal, GSM will
not send any SMS. But if the level is more than 700(as shown in Table 2), then GSM will send SMS to the authority .

Table 3: Datasets for Water level

Water Level(in %) SMS

value = 0 No

0 < value <=50 No

Value > 50 Yes

If the sewage water level is zero, GSM will not send any SMS and it will show the zero level at the Blynk server. The distance is
calculated in cms.If the water level exceeds the 50% mark(as shown in Table 3) it will trigger the buzzer and also will send a SMS
to the concerned authority via GSM module.

VI. CONCLUSION
Our developed IOT-based manhole monitoring and detection system has the potential to bring about revolutionary changes to both
the environment and people's daily lives. In many areas, the existing sewage system poses a significant hygiene problem and
contains numerous harmful gases, including CO, CH4, NH3, and others. To address this issue, we have designed and implemented a
device that effectively controls and reports sewage overflow incidents. By detecting and addressing situations where dirty water
spills out from drains and pollutes the surrounding areas, this device plays a crucial role in mitigating human suffering.
Additionally, we have integrated a Wi-Fi component into the system, enabling nearby authorities to receive daily updates regarding
any rise in sewage levels. Furthermore, we have implemented stringent access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel
have control over the system.

REFERENCES
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 International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)
ISSN: 2321-9653; IC Value: 45.98; SJ Impact Factor: 7.538
Volume 11 Issue V May 2023- Available at www.ijraset.com

[8] Hebziba Jeba Rani S, Yamini C L, Sakthivel M, “IOT BASED SMART SAFETY MONITORING SYSTEM FOR UNDERGROUND SANITATION
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[14] N. G. Haswani and P. J. Deore, "Web-Based Realtime Underground Drainage or Sewage Monitoring System Using Wireless Sensor Networks," 2018
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[17] Andrijašević, Uroš & Kocic, Jelena & Nešić, Vladan. (2020). Lid Opening Detection in Manholes using RNN

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