Application of a decision support system for monitoring and maintenance management of water valley tank facilities: A technological transformation toward sector sustainability

Abstract

The conventional approach of monitoring and maintaining water valley tank facilities (WVTFs) by field visiting is allied to time and resource wastage and data inaccuracies due to human error. These shortcomings hinder the sustainable monitoring and maintenance management of WVTFs. Therefore, this study investigates the development of a user-friendly decision support system (DSS) for supporting the monitoring and maintenance management activities of WVTFs in Nakasongola, Uganda. An open-source cloud-based “Google AppSheet” was interlinked with “Google Sheets” to develop the “MWEMA” mobile application (App), built with four modules (i.e., PM plan and schedule, work order, functional status, and mapping). Additionally, the MWEMA-app was implemented in the case study area to monitor the operational status of WVTFs. A total of 41 WVTFs were monitored, and acquired data was plotted instantly on the map. Results showed that out of 41 WVTFs, 4 were functional, 27 were partially functional, 8 were non-functional, and 2 were pending construction. An economic estimation demonstrated that the implementation of the project initiative is profitable with benefit/cost ratio (B/C) and net-present worth (NPW) values of 2 and US$ 39,809, respectively. Implementing the proposed innovative DSS would support achieving society-, economy-, and environment-related targets of sustainable development goals (SDGs) for the United Nations 2030 Agenda. The technology would assist policymakers and technical managers in keeping track of the operational status of WVTFs for sustainable management and development of scarce water resources.