Summary:
MUMBAI: To ensure no water-logging in the island city, the BMC will, in a first, deploy a robot to clean British-era underground drains, where mechanical end-to-end cleaning has proved unsuccessful in the past. An official said the BMC would not own the robot and that a contractor will procure and operate it. However, most of the island city area drains are underground and hence it is not possible to widen or deepen all of them. At the municipal commissioner's review meeting on Monday, a list of all drains that will be cleaned by robot was sought from the chief engineer of the BMC stormwater drain department. After the 2005 deluge, work on increasing the capacity of most drains was taken up..