After the improvements, it is important to monitor the functioning of the improved system, make necessary refinements, and maintain for the sustainability. The following are ways for monitoring the system.
- asking the Ward Officer and residents if they feel the new design has a positive impact on the drainage functioning (e.g. less flooding, less waste accumulation, better water quality in the drains) especially at the flooding hotspots.
- monitoring the functioning of the improved drains through taking photos at several key moments (e.g. during and after an heavy rain event). In this way, the water levels and duration of high water level for each event can be visualized and checked.
Unfortunately due to the circumstances within our project we were not able to monitor the improved drains ourselves. However, we did get some feedback from some residents living nearby the drain improvements:
- A resident near the drains at the monastery said that there might be the same trash throwing amount in the drains as before, but the flow of the water is improved
- A resident near the drain at the market drain area said, ‘”the area becomes cleaner as it is improved and the community perceive the changes, so it will also be the reason that they keep the area clean; and as there is no more trash throwing into the drains, no more flooding takes place due to blockages, but when it rained heavily some days, still some flooding takes place because of the capacity.”
