THE EFFECTIVENESS OF WATER POLLUTION MONITORING USING A REMOTE-

CONTROLLED WATERCRAFT

In partial fulfillment
Of the requirements in the subject
METE 10052 ME Design Project 1

Institute of Technology
Polytechnic University of the Philippines

By:
Gerom A. David
Rafael Jade F. Amabao
Miguel Bernardeo G. Siena
Pritch Gerald M. Mangui

Submitted to:
Prof. LUZVIMINDA J. RAMOS

DMET 2-2
July 21, 2021
 Chapter I

The Background and Its Problem

1.1 Introduction

As humans continue to proceed through generation the quality of a drinkable

water always played a crucial role in the health of human beings and animals. Rivers,
Streams, Lakes, and Springs are examples of major sources of drinkable water. These
bodies of water require a lot of effort of water quality monitoring as the supervisor needs
to get in a boat with all the equipment for sensing and to manually check the entire body
of water.

In spite of having an abundance of bodies of water, there is still a crisis of not

having enough drinkable water. According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 10
people in the Philippines still do not have access to improved water sources, which
threatens the health of every Filipino. According to an article published on October
23,2020 at Wateroam, there are 7 million Filipino people who still consume and utilize
water from unsafe and unsustainable sources. Furthermore, there are about 24 million
people in the Philippines that also lack access to improved sanitations, which most likely
people will succumb to serious illnesses and water-borne diseases like the COVID-19.

1.2 Background of the Study

Water quality monitoring system has been created after the Second World War
75 years ago. Water problems occurred well before the two world wars and date back
as far as the early days of the industrial revolution, around 1800. Before the wars, water
pollution concerns were mainly waterborne diseases that were widespread in densely
packed cities where many people used the same, contaminated, water source. Water
treatment thus focused on eliminating such pathogens by means of filtration and
chlorination.

As today, there are number of water quality monitoring inventions. But these
inventions are expensive making them unaffordable for masses. In this study, the
researchers are trying to modify the Real time Water Quality monitoring boat by Moez ul
Hassan by making it more durable, adding more features and also making it affordable.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The researchers target to achieve the following objectives:

a. To identify and demonstrate how the design monitor water pollution

b. To extend operating time and control range of the design.
c. To create a design that is unlikely to short circuit due to water.

1.4 Theoretical Framework

The researchers presume to design and make a working prototype of a pollution

monitoring device. This device will monitor the water quality with a Ph sensor and
turbidity sensor whilst the device is remote-operated and controlled by an RC remote
which can be maneuvered under any situation. The researchers will accommodate the
theory by using the laws of Physics, namely Archimedes’ principle. Using recyclable
materials in making our device, the cost would be lesser than the usual costly pollution
monitoring devices. The researchers will try to test the device on the small body of
water. If given the chance to test the device in a much larger body of water, namely the
Pasig River which is close to university grounds. This is to observe how the device will
work and how efficient the design is. Nonetheless, with the current situation, due to the
lack of communication between members because of COVID-19 and the lacking of high
financial value, the efficiency and effectiveness of the device might not reach its
possible maximum potential.
1.5 Conceptual Framework

Collection of materials to be used in creating a design of a

pollution monitoring boat.

Modifying the device to the desired specifications, and

creating a working model.

Testing the pollution monitoring boat.

Finalizing the design and testing the hypothesis. Drawing a

conclusion.

1.6 Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the performance of the water pollution monitoring
boat to precisely detect the quality of water where it operates.

Questions that the researchers aim to answer are the following:

1. Will water pollution monitoring boat precisely measure the PH level and turbidity
level of the water?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the water pollution monitoring
boat?
3. Is the Water Pollution Monitoring Boat effective or not?
1.7 Assumption and Hypothesis:

Null: The device will detect the quality of water precisely, then it will determine if
the water is safe to consume or not.

Alternative: The device will malfunction (sink, short circuit, wrong read).

1.8 Significance of the Study

This study will be a significant endeavor in promoting good environment and the
crisis in pollution in any water bodies. The result of the study can benefit a lot of local
people that encounter water pollution for them to easily know if the water they are taking
is contaminated.

Safety Inspector – the water pollution monitoring boat can be used for checking or
inspecting if a workplace, close to a body of water like an ocean-side factory, is sanitary.

Scientist – the water pollution monitoring boat can be used as a detector to check the
PH level and turbidity of the body of water being examined.

Environmentalist – the water pollution monitoring boat can be used as a water quality
monitoring system to make sure that the water can support wildlife.

Future Researchers – the ideas presented may be used as reference data in

conducting their own research and overview on how their study must go on. The
research can be improved hereafter.

1.9 Scope and Delimitations:

The study focused on the water pollution and the awareness in our environment
when it comes to pollution. The device will be tested in some areas experiencing water
pollution and compare difference in the original water tester. The data that will gather
will be list and see the difference and the effectiveness of the device. The raw materials
of this device are very affordable and light weight. The device can run depending on its
battery. Furthermore, this study only discussed the effectiveness of the device.

1.10 Definition of Terms

The researchers interpreted the following terms conceptually and operationally as it

provides sufficient information to clearly comprehend the study.

Chlorination - the process of adding chlorine to drinking water to kill parasites,

bacteria, and viruses

Contaminated - to make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or

undesirable elements
Filtration - the action or process of filtering something.

Pathogens - a specific causative agent (such as a bacterium or virus) of disease

pH Level - quantitative measure of the acidity or basicity of aqueous or other liquid

solutions.

pH Sensor - a scientific instrument that measures the hydrogen-ion activity in water-

based solutions, indicating its acidity or alkalinity expressed as pH.

Turbidity Level - a measure of the degree to which the water loses its transparency
due to the presence of suspended particulates.

Turbidity Sensor – a scientific instrument that measure the amount of light that is
scattered by the suspended solids in water.
 Chapter ll

Reviews of Related Literatures

2.1 Introduction

Monitoring systems have become the focus of studies since the pollution became
rampant nowadays. In creating a monitoring system, the basis of the design has come
forth other studies that have shown significant results. This paper aims to explain the
value of monitoring, its benefit to people, and to create a design to exhibit sufficient and
yet affordable monitoring system.

With accordance to other similar monitoring system design, the researchers aim
to prepare another design that will contribute to the field of study. To have a background
check of the other designs, the researchers compiled some of the studies that focuses
on monitoring system. The following are some of the researches that can create a
foundation of the study being made.

2.2 Review of Related Literature

According to the paper of Bengt-Arne Torstensson, titled “A New System for

Ground Water Monitoring that was first published on December 1984, which described
a new system for ground water monitoring he referred as “the BAT System”. The
functions of the system includes: sampling of ground water in most types of soils,
measurement of pore water pressure, and in situ measurement of hydraulic
conductivity. It also was mentioned on the paper that the system utilized a permanently
installed filter tip attached to a steel or PCV pipe, which is installed by pushing the tip
down to the desired depth. The main feature of the system was that the filter tip
contains self-sealing quick coupling unit, which makes it possible to temporarily connect
the filter tip to adapters for various functions such as water sampling. The unique thing
about the system is that it can sample pressurized water and gas that can be repeated
over a long period of time with undiminished accuracy.
 According to a research article of the of, Younghun Kim, Thomas Schmid, Zainul
M. Charbiwala, Jonathan Friedman, and Mani B. Srivastava, researchers of the
University of California titled “NAWMS: nonintrusive autonomous water monitoring
system” that was published on November 05, 2008, that water is nature’s most precious
resource and it is highly demanded where water supplies are pushed to the brink of
non-renewability. They introduced a novel water monitoring system, NAWMS, to provide
information on when, where, and how much water they are being used. The system
used a wireless vibration sensors attached to pipes and, thus, neither plumbing nor
special expertise is required for installation. They implemented a non-intrusive,
autonomous, and adaptive system, which utilized commodity hardware that is cost-
effective and widely deployable. The NAWMS makes use of the existing household
water flow meter, which is considered accurate but lacks spatial granularity, and adds
vibration sensors on the individual water pipes to estimate the water flow to each
individual outlet. The HAWMS showed accuracy with long-term stability and a mean of
absolute error of 7% according to the experiments of the researchers of the University
of California.

2.3 Review of Related Studies

According to the study, titled “Integrated Technologies for Low Cost

Environmental Monitoring in the Water Bodies of the Philippines: A Review”, of
Alexander T. Demetillo, Michelle V. Japitana & Evelyn B. Taboada of the University of
San Carlos in Cebu City, that was published on April 23, 2019, the design of their
monitoring system used an Atlas Scientific, an American company that has years of
experience manufacturing high performance water quality sensors which are widely
used in scientific projects, brand of water quality sensors because of the availability,
affordability, and compatibility with the Arduino-based architecture. The Arduino
architecture is the processor of the Arduino board that uses the Harvard architecture
where the program code and program data have separate memory. The system is
designed and implemented with its main goal of monitoring water quality with the
consideration that the system is suitable in a large aquatic area, can measure and store
information in a database in a real-time scenario, and can deliver a timely notification to
the supervisors via mechanism system. The system achieved long duration operation,
flexibility and reproducibility. But the study still has it flaws like, issues with the energy
source and a much stronger system.

Carlos M. Oppus, Maria Aileen Leah G. Guzman, Maria Leonora C. Guico, Jose
Claro N. Monje, Mark Glenn F. Retirado, John Chris T. Kwong, Genevieve C. Ngo,
Annael J. Domingo of Ateneo de Manila University, who made a study titled “Design of
a Remote Real-time Groundwater Level and Water Quality Monitoring System for the
Philippine Groundwater Management Plan Project“. The device that they developed
focused on the power supply, sensor and control, and data visualization. Firstly, the
power supply sub-system provides power to the sensor and control sub-system through
a rechargeable battery, which is powered by solar energy via solar panel. The battery
and solar panel are both managed by the solar charge control to prevent unwanted
voltage or current discharges during low sunlight or night time. Next is the sensor and
control sub-system which used a microcontroller to fetch date from the sensor units.
The sensor data collected are pH level (pH), temperature, electrical conductivity (EC),
total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, and groundwater level (static water level). Lastly,
which we found to be unique about their study was the data visualization sub-system.
The data collected from the sensor control box is sent to a cloud server, which will be
processed by the data visualization sub-system and is easily accessible through their
dedicated website. The website which includes a presentation of the project with its
goals and partner institutions; a map showing the monitoring well sites with sensor
systems: a view of available data; and a page on helpful information regarding water
level and water quality parameter.

The articles, researches, and studies that have been included in the chapter are
very indistinguishable from one another. Not because every article, research, and study
are related to water monitoring system but because all of them needs further
exploration. That’s where our research comes to play, to further enhance the study of
the other articles, researches, and studies. And maybe disclose what they haven’t got,
like lack of coverage of the area that is being monitored, issues with the energy source,
a robust system that can withstand harsh weathers, or even a cheaper device that is far
superior to theirs. With these studies in mind, the researchers create a new set of
queries that is expected to be solved at the end of this study.

This collection of related studies and literature is to add information about the
topic, water monitoring system. This are to create a background that will help
understand the statements. This review can affect the claim that will be accounted at
the end of the study.
 Chapter III
RESEARCH METHODS

This chapter presents the methods and techniques used in the study, research
instruments and data gathering procedure in order to know how the researchers come
up with the study.

Methods and Techniques of the Study

The study employed a quantitative method of research. Wherein, the researchers

created their own water pollution monitoring boat and the researchers will test it on the
Pasig river. One of the researchers will compared the collected data to the DENR
records on the Pasig river.
Flowchart of research design

Collection of materials to be used in creating a design of a

pollution monitoring boat. Using recycled RC boat,
researchers added PH sensor, turbidity sensor, sd card
module, lights, LED and screws and bolts to build the water
pollution monitoring boat.

Modifying the device to the desired specifications and

creating a working model. Instead buying materials to make
a water pollution monitoring boat, the researchers modified
a RC boat. Researchers made the boat prolong on the
water by increasing its battery capacity. The researchers
also are upgrading the range of its antenna. The
researchers also inspect the boat first after modifying it to
know if the boat is sealed completely and the water can’t
go inside of the boat that can cause short circuit.

Testing the pollution monitoring boat. The researchers test

the water pollution monitoring boat on Pasig river. Pasig
river once a clean river but as the population grows in the
city of Manila, the pollution grows too. The people that lived
near in the river throw their waste on the river. That’s why
the researchers decided that Pasig river is a great choice to
conduct the experimentation and the effectiveness of the
water pollution monitoring boat.

Finalizing the design and testing the hypothesis. Drawing a

conclusion. After gathering the data, Researchers will
compare the gathered data in the latest data gathered of
the DENR to show the effectiveness and accuracy of the
water pollution monitoring boat.
Research Instruments

The researchers built a remote control water monitoring boat then test it to gather
data needed in the study.

Instead of buying the materials to make a new boat, researchers modified a RC

boat. The researchers added PH sensor, turbidity sensor, SD card module, lights, LED
and screws and bolts to secure and sealed the boat. To prolong the service of the boat,
the researchers upgrade its battery capacity. The researchers also upgrade its antenna
range. The added materials will make the boat gather the data about the quality of the
water. The gathered data will examine by the researchers to know if the boat is
effective.

Water Pollution Monitoring Boat

Materials:

RC boat PH sensor Turbidity sensor

 SD card module LED Screws and Bolts

Raspberry pi

Tools:

Screw driver Soldering pencil Soldering lead

Redesigning

After checking the compatibility of the boat, After checking some corrections,
which mean the part will be redesign. The boat model will be done and checked again.
The process continued until the suitable and accurate one was done.

Field experiment

The researchers will test the boat on the Pasig river to test the accuracy and the
performance of the water pollution monitoring boat. The gathered data from the
experiment were encoded and analyzed. The researchers will compare the gathered
data with the recorded data of DENR on the Pasig river that month. The researchers will
compute the data to get the probability of the two data.