The present work deals with the development of a “low cost” prototype for the detection of clandestine drinking water connections, comparable with other products in the market such as a geo-radar already used by the EPPAGE or the pipe locator of the Combiphon brand. The prototype consists of a tapping/vibration generator, an omni-directional microphone, a Scarlett 18i20 interface, free REW software and a spectrogram-sound signal analysis method. All combined allows the detection of irregularities in drinking water connection pipes. In practice, the prototype was able to detect 55 clandestine connections between December 2021 and March 2022 in the city of Machachi and its surroundings. Drinking water is recognized as an essential human right for the full enjoyment of life, so the detection of these clandestine connections can demonstrate a significant impact on the unequal access to water in the Canton Mejia.
This is how I came up with the idea for this project:I was inspired by people who drink stagnant water and don’t have access to drinkable water, which is a right for all human beings. I created this instrument to detect clandestine connections and guarantee the access of water.
