40% drain desilting done, PMC sets mid-May target

PATNA: The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has claimed to have completed around 40% of the desilting of major drains in its six circles in the state capital ahead of the monsoon season. The civic body, which is cleaning the drains through machines and manual labour, has set mid-May- as the target for completing the work.
Desilting of small and medium drains, which requires manual work, started on April 21 after a partial relaxation in the second phase of the lockdown.As the full workforce returned to duty, the civic body assigned the work to sanitation workers in two shifts to adhere to social distancing norms.
To clear the garbage heaps and silt from big drains, the PMC has hired poclain machines, super-suction machines, tractors, tippers, skid-steer loader and earth-moving machines. Officials said two long-arm poclain machines have arrived from Chennai.
PMC commissioner Himanshu Sharma said, “The total length of nine major drains in the city is 33,662 meters or over 33km. At present, sanitation workers have dredged 11,250m. In spite of limited resources, up to 40% of the work of cleaning of all major drains has been completed within just 19 days,” he said.
He added: “The desilting of big drains is being done through machines, while we have started manual work in small and medium drains, catchpits and manholes in the last week.”
Secretary of urban development and housing department Anand Kishore has also instructed PMC officials to increase resources and carry out the work in two shifts to complete the work within the targeted timeframe. He set the target to complete the de- silting of big drains by May 3 and the other drains, catch pits and manholes by mid-May.
The PMC has formed special teams for cleaning each major drain, which is constantly being monitored from the headquarters. At the same time, the sanitation workers are being trained daily by the PMC in collaboration with team of experts of the United Nations Population Fund to protect them from Covid-19 virus.
Harshita, a PMC communications official, said sanitation workers were provided with safety gear such as gloves, face masks, body harness, suit and safety belt as a precautionary measure. “All staff are maintaining social distancing norms,” she added.