Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to hire four machines to clean open drains

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will hire four machines to clean open roadside drains to ensure smooth flow of rainwater into the sea.

Officials from the storm water drain department said the machines need to be hired to ensure the drains are cleaned before the arrival of monsoon. “Storm water drains are filled with garbage, silt and construction debris. To ensure a smooth flow, they have to be cleaned,” said a senior civic official.

The official added that though the civic body has 35 de-silting machines for this sort of work, some of the machines are outdated. “Following a Supreme Court order of not using machines which are eight years old or more, it has been found that five machines are outdated. While we have replaced one, we need four more to continue the cleaning work,” the official said.

A proposal will be tabled before the standing committee regarding this on Wednesday for its approval. The civic body will hire four machines at a cost of Rs3.58 crore.