08 April,2022 08:43 AM IST | Mumbai | Sameer Surve
The super sucker machine at work inside the Kurla culvert
Areas in Kurla along the LBS Road might be spared of heavy flooding this monsoon, with the BMC cleaning a drain under the busy thoroughfare for the first time. The civic body is using a super sucker machine to desilt the culvert that discharges into the Mithi river. In case of favourable results, the corporation will use the suction technology to clear scores of culverts in the suburbs.
An official said humans can't clean the full length of a culvert between chambers. "As the culvert is closed, we can clean the full length of the drain with this machine. Slit has accumulated nearly up to 1 metre high and the drain height is 1.2 metres. The work started 15 days ago and we will take a few more days to complete," a BMC official said.
Kurla LBS (old Agra Road) is a chronic flooding spot. It is also an important road of eastern suburbs that connects the western side of Sion to Mulund and Thane. Every monsoon, the stretch in Kurla gets marooned, throwing traffic off the kilter and triggering chaos in the eastern suburbs. Also, floodwater seeps into the houses along with the road.
"We are cleaning 13 chambers in the Kurla area. This culvert is connected with the Mithi river. With high-pressure suction, this machine absorbs the silt that has been accumulated over the year," said another official. "BMC uses the suction jetting machine in the City area. This is the first time we are using the machine in the suburbs. If we get good results, we will use it to clean culverts all over the suburbs," said Vibhas Acharekar, deputy chief engineer of BMC's stormwater department.
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Former local corporator Dr Saida Khan welcomed the initiative. "This will help in the rain. I had demanded to clean the culvert with the help of a machine." As per BMC record, the collective length of roadside drains is about 1966 km. "A few years ago, BMC started covering the roadside drains with a slab to prevent garbage from being thrown into them," said a corporation official.
