New Delhi: There is good news for human scavengers. For the first time in the region, smart robots will soon start cleaning clogged sewers and the project will start from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. The state government has provided three Bandicoot robotic scavengers to the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PNN) and the Jalkal department – the two main bodies tasked with the maintenance of drains and sewers – for the task.
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They will be put into full service after Holi, officials said. Bandicoot is a robotic machine designed for cleaning any type of sewer manhole. The robot consists of two major units – a stand unit and a robotic drone unit. The drone unit is the one which dives into manholes for cleaning operations or unblocking operations. The diving depth of the robotic drone is customizable as per the maximum depth required for the job, officials said.
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Kumar Gaurav, General Manager, Jalkal Department, said the government has provided three bandicoot robots costing Rs 1.18 crore which will now do the work of workers cleaning drains and sewers. Fully automated, the robots will directly enter the deep sewer line through manholes and clean it, he said. Municipal officials said the robots would prove to be a game changer as they provide a safe and efficient alternative to the practice of manual scavenging, which is not only dangerous but also compromises the dignity of the sanitation workers. Officials said the move is part of the Swachh Survekshan-2023 and Safai Mitra safety protocols, aimed at creating a clean and healthy environment for sanitation workers and the entire community.
Apart from Prayagraj, other areas of the state like Kanpur, Aligarh, Greater Noida have also adopted these Bandicoot robotic scavengers. These robots, developed by Kerala-based national award-winning startup Genrobotics, are expected to be helpful especially in view of the fact that 20 new wards have been added to the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation after the city limits were expanded recently.
An add-on feature in these robots is nano coating which enables them to operate effectively for longer duration in any hazardous or corrosive sewerage environment. It has the flexibility to be more efficient than humans in terms of time and efficiency of manhole cleaning. The drone unit is equipped with an extendable robotic arm with four degrees of freedom to perform grabbing, shoveling and unblocking actions inside the manhole.