Hit By ‘Drain-Fall’, Mumbai Set To Clean British-Era Sewers With Latest Technology 

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has initiated ambitious plans to clean British-era drains, some of which have not been cleaned for decades. The Corporation is in the process of spending an estimated Rs 31 crore to purchase state-of-the-art robotic jetting machines, which would be able to clean silt from nullahs or drains where human hands cannot reach.

Four such machines are expected to be delivered within a month with another two machines due for delivery by December-end. An official with the Storm Water Drains (SWD) department stated that many of the British-era drains could not be cleaned due to lack of appropriate equipment and technology, which resulted in these drains accumulating 20 to 30 per cent silt. This silt accumulation is said to be majorly impacting the draining of rainwater and contributing to local flooding.

The machines would not only be capable of cleaning 10 manholes at a time, but also help the corporation in handling some of the problems associated with de-silting such drains as the buildup of toxic gases within the drains are an impediment to human intervention.