Robotic excavator to clean 'nullahs', Mithi

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has purchased a new robotic multi-purpose excavator machine for the desilting of major drains in the city, as well as the Mithi river.

On Thursday, the sewerage operations department of the corporation demonstrated the machine’s operations for the first time. The excavator works as three machines — JCB, Poclain and the dredger — and is controlled by a single person in a cockpit. Since the machine takes care of all the work, even a crane is not required to lift the silt and dump it on the sides of the drains.

“The device was bought to modernise the BMC’s desilting mechanism. It has several advantages in comparison to the regular JCB, Poclain and other dredger machines currently used by the civic body,” said Vijay Golwalkar, deputy chief engineer, stormwater drains department, BMC. “It can be used to lift heavy things, excavate roads and even cut trees. It is so swift that no arrangements are required to be made before operating it,” added Golwalkar.

With two months to go before the monsoons set in, the BMC is accelerating its desilting drive in order to substantially reduce the flooding of nullahs during the rains.

The new machine was used on Thursday to desilt the L&T Powai pipeline in the Powai yard, situated along the Mithi river.