Poor Drainage |Definition | Causes | Solutions | Benefits of Good Drainage

Poor Drainage |Definition | Causes | Solutions | Benefits of Good Drainage

What is Poor Drainage?

Poor drainage caused by the shape of the landscape or inadequate drainage systems can damage buildings and move soil from where it’s needed to where it causes trouble. The effects of poor drainage systems extend beyond single properties and can have an impact on roads, waterways, and health.

Drainage is the removal of surface and subsurface water from a wet area through natural or artificial drainage.

Drainage systems are constructed to ensure that wastewater and sewage are transported neatly to disposal points, thereby keeping the environment well drained and free of waste.

Examples of components that make up a good drainage system include; closed ditches having pipe drains, drainage pipes, channels, and conduits.

Sustainable Drainage Systems are approaches put in place to manage the water quantity (flooding), water quality (pollution), and amenity issues in the environment.

Sustainable drainage is a concept that includes long-term environmental and social factors in decisions about drainage.

Sustainable Drainage Systems are intended to regulate surface water runoff close to where it falls and simulate natural drainage as closely as possible. They provide opportunities to reduce the causes and impacts of flooding, remove pollutants from urban runoff at the source, and combine water management with recreation and wildlife. They also help to enhance water quality while protecting natural flow regimes in watercourses.

In many parts of Nigeria today, there is a great need for properly managed sustainable drainage systems to help manage surface water runoff. Neighborhoods keep springing up without proper planning, which also involves planning for drainage and sewage or waste disposal. Residents regularly dump their waste in gutters, and this clogs the gutters and prevents the flow of water, causing the gutters to overflow.
It is common to see flooded streets with litter floating everywhere after a short period of rainfall. Such situations create very unsanitary conditions for residents of the neighborhoods and contribute to the degradation of the environment.

In the year 2012, 363 people were feared dead while 2.1 million citizens were displaced across Nigeria as a result of floods. According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), 30 states out of 36 in

Nigeria was affected by that flood experience and it was concluded as the worst that has ever happened in the past 40 years, causing damages of an estimated value of N2.6 trillion Naira. These floods also gave rise to environmental pollution problems which affected the health of Nigerians across the various affected areas.

Nigeria is currently experiencing its annual rainy season, and to avoid lethal floods, it is important to have very effective drainage systems and strive toward ensuring the free flow of water during and after heavy downpours.

Poorly maintained drainage systems and poor waste management habits can adversely affect our environment in the following ways;

Flooding: The immediate effects of flooding include loss of human life, damage to property, destruction of crops and other plants, loss of livestock

Erosion: The absence of good drainage systems can cause erosion problems. This has been experienced in many areas of Nigeria, where roads have been washed away and gullies created as a result of flooding.

Diseases: Deterioration of health is another effect of flooding, due to the increase in waterborne diseases and unsanitary conditions.

Stagnation of water occurs when water passages are blocked. This makes the people around such environments susceptible to infections from mosquitoes and other insects. We are exposed to numerous air and water-borne diseases if we have our environments polluted with stagnant water”

Facility managers, risk managers, and property managers are always on the watch for problems involving business-critical assets that could lead to expensive downtime. Some are simpler to recognize than others. When the proper backup plans are in place, failures in IT systems or manufacturing production systems are frequently instantly noticeable and manageable. It is simple to monitor and stay on top of maintenance requirements because of the exterior building components and fleet visibly age and decay.

Drainage is a different story. Because it is below the ground and out of sight, a potential problem is harder to identify and foresee. Faults often make their presence felt when it is too late to prevent an escalation into a large-scale problem that could require expensive and disruptive excavation. So what areas of a potential risk should businesses be wary of?

Six of the most common causes of drainage failures and how they can be addressed include:

Tree roots:

The forces of nature are strong. You’ve undoubtedly come upon a wall collapsed by tree roots that were growing outward.

The harm this might inflict to an underground pipe—which is a very frequent reason for drainage failure—is probably something you haven’t seen. Often, tree roots will enter pipework and cause blockages at first. If these are not stopped, however, they can result in pipe fracturing and leaks that could cause problems with the Environment Agency. If the grounds of your place of business have trees, particularly mature trees, this could be cause for concern.

Land Movement and Subsidence:

Land subsidence happens when a lot of groundwater has been taken out of particular kinds of rocks, like fine-grained sediments. Because water helps to hold the ground up in part, the rock compacts. The rocks collapse in on themselves when the water is removed.
The thickness that obstructs pipes’ capacity to drain can be caused by land movement, subsidence, and water infiltration washing away subsoils.

The Impact of Industrial and Heavy Goods Traffic:

The quantity and weight of oncoming traffic speed up the rate of wear and tear on any given surface. Due to the huge volume of heavy goods vehicles, particular places, such as busy A-roads, industrial sites, and distribution centers, can be especially vulnerable in this regard. A fleet of 44-tonne trucks, for instance, going through daily would unavoidably have an influence over time. At some point, it might cause a pipe to fracture or even collapse.

Attack From Chemical Waste Such As Sugar or Acid:

A large percentage of Jet Aire’s business is in the beverage and chemical processing industries. The majority of chemical waste interacts with piping fabric, speeding up deterioration. Chemical production facilities are renowned for having a higher rate of drainage failure than other manufacturing facilities. When this occurs, there is a chance that harmful chemical waste will spill and harm the neighborhood. The possibility of a hefty fine from the Environmental Agency and unfavorable media coverage adds to the dilemma. Manufacturing beverages is another business with a high probability of drainage failure. Once more, the issue is a result of the product’s composition; most drinks contain sugar and acids that cause by the nature of the product – most drinks contain sugar and acids which break down the fabric of pipes.

The deterioration can develop surprisingly quickly – sugar is abrasive to concrete and bacterial digestion will eat away at pipes. If a drainage leak does occur, drinks manufacturers pose a similar environmental risk – with all the problems that entails.

Pipe Infiltration Leading To Encrustations:

Pipe problems don’t always arise from a specific external (or internal) cause; in many cases, ordinary wear and tear weakened joints and seals over time. Infiltration can result in a buildup of encrustations when a seal is no longer water-tight, which lowers the effectiveness of drainage flow and eventually can result in more serious issues.

Site Activity:

There is frequently a high risk of a drainage network being damaged during on-site activities like building and civil engineering. A frequent accident that results from failing to determine the depth of the drain or check whether there are drains flowing beneath the footprint of a proposed structure or addition is contractors piling through pipes.

Building regulations state that water authority approval is necessary before work can start when building within 3 meters of a public sewer or within 1 meter of a public lateral drain. Though there is a conflict between the drain’s line and the line of the structure above, even if the drain is not a shared or public sewer, failing to locate it can result in serious problems.
Many cases of pipe damage are caused by site activity which neglects these considerations.

The Solution to the Causes of Poor Drainage:

Solution to Tree Root:

Fortunately, there are ways to get rid of any root intrusions without endangering the pipe or needing to perform labor-intensive excavation. A lining or patch repair over the joint or defect will stop the roots from growing back into the pipe and will prevent root intrusion in the short term. Root cutting equipment can quickly and effectively remove the root intrusion.

Solution to Land Movement And Subsidence:

Either a milling cutter or a robotic cutter will be needed to remove encrustation. The best option is to line or patch repair over the seam or flaw to seal the pipework and stop additional leakage once they have been removed.

Solution to The Impact of Industrial and Heavy Goods Traffic:

Unfortunately, the solution will usually involve excavation. However, it may be possible to line or patch the pipework, depending on the extent of the damage and deformation.

Attack From Chemical Waste Such as Sugar or Acid:

The best solution is a preventative measure – in the case of pipework, it is possible to apply a pipe liner with a specialist resin that is resistant to chemical attack. If you operate a chemical or food production site, or your business is located near one, we would recommend consulting a drainage company to provide a professional assessment and advise appropriate measures to eliminate the risk of any faults or failures arising in the future.

Solution to Pipe Infiltration Leading To Encrustations:

This issue can usually be addressed quickly and easily with a lining or patch repair over the joint or defect to seal the pipework and prevent further leakage. Encrustation can be removed with either a milling or robotic cutter.

Solution to Site Activity:

Unfortunately, these kinds of incidents typically require excavation and replacing the pipe or diverting it away from the pile. It is sometimes possible to remove the pile, if it is only partially obstructing the drain, with a robotic cutter.

Benefits of Good Drainage System:

1. Drainage Provides a Better Environment for Plant Growth:

The surplus water is eliminated, which prevents root respiration and directly damages the root tissue of most crops.

2. Microbial Decomposition Is Increased:

The development of helpful soil bacteria, which transforms soil organic matter and nutrients into plant-available food, depends on the presence of air in the soil.

3. Drainage Enhances Soil’s Physical Properties:

It enhances soil structure and raises the soil’s capacity for infiltration. Erosion is lessened by greater infiltration capability.

4. Drainage Keeps Soil at the Correct Temperature:

The soil can soon warm up because drainage removes any excess water. A suitable soil temperature promotes bacterial activity and stimulates plant growth, leading to earlier planting and greater germination.

5. Drainage Encourages More Leaching:

Increased salt leaching is encouraged by drainage, which also keeps salts from building up in the soil.

6. Less time is needed for labor:

In well-drained soil, tillage operations need less time and labor.

7. Improved Root System:

The plant has a larger volume of soil from which it can draw nutrients and water because of its ability to develop a substantial root system.

8. Crop damage from wet ground during harvest is avoided.

9. Minimize Soil Erosion

Since well-drained soil can hold more rain, there will be less runoff.

10. Gets Rid of Toxic Materials:

Toxic salts are eliminated from the root zone by adequate drainage.

– Kehinde Owoeye