Date:26/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/26/stories/2006052624770400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

BWSSB begins drive to clean manholes in Ulsoor

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: A pilot operation to clear 500 manholes in Ulsoor area has been on since May 22 as part of a major flood control exercise by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). The board has a programme to clean close to one lakh manholes and 4,000 km of drains throughout the city to prevent flooding of roads during the rainy season.

Ulsoor, Jogupalya, Channel Road, Artillery Road and Saraswathipuram are some of the areas identified as flood prone. While 50 per cent of the flood control work is carried out by BWSSB, the rest has to be done by the Bangalore Mahangara Palike. For the cleaning work, the bBoard has started using "jetting machines" which sprays water under high pressure into the manholes to bring up accumulated silt and debris. These are then removed by workers and loaded onto lorries. The waste is now dumped at a designated yard near NGEF.

The BWSSB has a team of 18 workers engaged in the cleaning work in the Ulsoor, working from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. if the weather permits. Assistant Executive Engineer G. Prabhakar said: "It is difficult and risky to send workers inside manholes after dark but we are managing with the help of petromax lamps till other alternatives can be found."