United Nations' funds help map Panaji’s 112km-long drain network

Panaji: A UN-funded flood mitigation pilot project is set to provide the state capital with a comprehensive stormwater drainage plan, which the city planners and policymakers have sorely missed in their battle against flooding. The mapping of the city’s 112km network of drains has begun and is nearing completion.
Under the guidance of the Smart City Mission, an agency is using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) — a remote sensing technology that uses laser pulses — to measure the length of Panaji’s drains, the drain levels, and blockages if any.

Using the LiDAR survey and drones, the city will get a 3D model of Panaji’s drains, said Imagine Panaji Smart City Development chief executive officer Sanjit Rodrigues.

According to officials, the project is being implemented by TERI, GIZ India, and the National Institute of Urban Affairs, in close collaboration with UNESCAP, the University of Stuttgart, and TU Dortmund University.
“Panaji has no drain data,” said Rodrigues. “We told them (the UN team) what we need is a map of our drains.”

Under what is called the Urban-Act Project, funds are being provided to five countries — India, Philippines, Thailand, China, and Indonesia — to implement resilient urban infrastructure. In India, the Urban-Act project is being piloted in Panaji, Shimla and Coimbatore.

“For the mapping, we are not spending anything. The cost to map the drains will be close to Rs 1 crore but that will be funded by the German agencies,” Rodrigues said.

“We won this project based on a presentation. We picked this project as it will live for posterity. This kind of technology leveraging will help the city.”

Once completed, the map of the city’s drains will be shared with all govt agencies, particularly utility service providers, to prevent damage to the drains.

“The survey is going to give us the levels and sizes of drains and show where they flow towards,” Rodrigues said. “We will now publish a drain map of Panaji and give it to whoever wants. It will be open source.”