Former navy diving instructor spends 70 minutes in storm water drain to repair leaks and remove blockages

Diver makes a splash with PMC drain repair

Former navy diving instructor spends 70 minutes in storm water drain to repair leaks and remove blockages

Vijay Shivtare, a 44-year-old former navy underwater diver, spent 70 minutes in a 52-metre-long storm water drain system to remove blocks and repair leakages. At the end of it, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) said Shivtare had set a record of sorts.

No digging of roads
Instead of digging roads to remove blocks and leakages in the drains, the PMC has appointed Shivtare to save on costs. He was inside the drain for 70 minutes on his own and successfully completed the work.

He set a new record by keeping himself underground, claimed PMC officials.

u00a0"Shivtare, the only underwater diver PMC has got, earlier removed many leakages and blockages at Yerawada Parvati, Sahakarnagar, Datta Wadi, but keeping 70 minutes inside the storm water line is a big record," said Vikrant Kapse, junior engineer (roads), PMC.

Right choice
Kapse said Shivtare was the right choice for this highly specialised job.

"This made it easy for us to rid the area near the Zanshichi Rani statue on JM Road of water-logging," said Kapse. "We had assured the city during MiD DAY's Monsoon Menace Campaign on July 12 that we would be doing it."

The PMC Road Department requires an underwater diver on standby who will go down with an oxygen mask and underwater glasses with a diver suit any time he is required to do so, said Satishchandra Ghume, executive engineer (roads), PMC.

"Shivtare has proved to be very useful for us in removing many complicated blocks inside the storm water tunnels," he said.

Shivtare said, "My experience in the navy has really helped me. I was alone inside the three-feet and two-feet diameter pipeline, in which I was virtually crawling and working constantly. It was difficult for me to even drink water. Oxygen was my food and water."

Santosh Tandale, deputy engineer, PMC, said removing obstructions inside the pipeline is a most difficult and expensive task.

Shivtare is also in great demand in Pimpri-Chinchwad, having recently completed jobs on storm water drains maintained by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.