Water Level and Flow Monitoring at the Tina River reservoir site has been successfully completed by EPC contractors, Hyundai Engineering Company (HEC) after the team, led by HEC Senior Design Engineer Oh Myung Hwan, camped down at the dam site over a weeklong period.
They were tasked to conduct hydrology collection and monitoring to validate the data captured by the transmitters which were installed several months ago and sample the river water, which happens at regular intervals, to carry out suspended sediment analysis at the HEC Laboratory.
Supporting Oh Myung Hwan was Titus Siapu, who has over 10 years’ experience working on the Tina River Hydropower Project and in-depth understanding of the Dam site’s environmental and terrestrial area.
“We had a six-member team, including casual workers from the nearby community who have extensive knowledge about the reservoir area environment,” Siapu said.
“They were engaged to support with their local knowledge and assist with the logistics such as carrying equipment to the Dam site,” he added.
“Their presence was invaluable in helping us successfully complete the work.”
The already installed Level Transmitters will eventually feed into the Automatic Weather Monitoring Stations.
Water Level and Flow Monitoring Equipment installed at the Dam Site| Photo supplied.
Automatic Weather Monitoring Stations also known as an AWS, are facilities equipped with various sensors and instruments to collect and measure weather-related data automatically.
These stations are designed to continuously monitor and record meteorological parameters such as temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind speed and direction, precipitation, solar radiation, and more.
The AWS, together with the Level Transmitters will later be integrated with the proposed warning systems for generating flood warnings.
This suite of systems will play a crucial role in providing accurate and up-to-date information for the hydropower project during construction and operation.
A statement from the Tina Hydro office said despite the challenging weather conditions during the week, the team were able to complete the work package and ensure the accurate collection of water and weather data.
The statement said the information collected from the AWS will be utilised for design purposes, records, and reporting requirements as stipulated in the EPC Contract.
HEC Specialist Titus Siapu collecting data |Photo supplied.
“Although the project is being implemented by the Solomon Islands Government (SIG), it has financing and support from multiplier stakeholders including the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, the Asian Development Bank, the Government of Australia, the Green Climate Fund, Korea EX-IM Economic Development Cooperation Fund, and the World Bank, who also assist in ensuring the Environmental and Safeguard requirements are being upheld.”
The continuous collection, monitoring and analysis of environmental data is a crucial element to the delivery of a successful project that meets all regulatory requirements and ensures the long-term foundational and sustainability of the reservoir area.