Mumbai: BMC to buy robotic machines to clean old drains

Storm Water Drain

Some of south Mumbai's oldest and narrowest drains, that have not been cleaned for ages, are set to be cleaned soon. The BMC will buy robotic machines to clean these drains, where access is a big issue. The civic body has proposed to spend about Rs 31 crore on these machines, which will go inside the drains to remove the silt and garbage. According to civic officials, areas like Fort, CST, Colaba, Masjid Bunder, Byculla, Worli, Prabhadevi, Dadar and Mahim have underground drains built by the British. Many of them have not been cleaned as there was no access to them even manually.

A senior civic official from the Storm Water Drain (SWD) Department said, "At every 30 metres in old Mumbai there are manholes. These old drains have not been cleaned because of an access issue. Apart from the accumulated silt, these drains have toxic gases in them. The robotic machines can be operated by a person walking on the ground along the line of manholes, to clean them. The machines will have cameras on them to ensure they reach every corner. According to a study of these drains, they have accumulated about 20-30% silt, which leads to rain water receding slowly."

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