Mumbai: After a technical failure of a smart device project to prevent theft of manhole covers in the city, the civic authorities have now instructed the ward officials to ensure manholes are covered before the monsoon. The open manholes will be barricaded immediately till they get covered, said the civic official.
As per civic data, on average, 63 manhole lids were stolen in the last year. Since the manhole covers get stolen frequently, the authorities decided to install protective nets that will prevent any mishaps like citizens, animals, or vehicles falling into open manholes, especially during the monsoon. A trial was also conducted to install protective nets made of stainless steel, fibre and iron ductile beneath the manholes.
The civic body also carried out a pilot project to install a smart device under a manhole cover at 14 locations in the city. The sensors in the device were expected to raise alarms and send alerts to the sewerage operation control room when the covers are forcibly removed or in case of waterlogging. The team would have immediately rushed to the location to prevent theft.
Sensors Fail To Raise Alarms
However, the sensors could not raise alarms at some locations when the covers were moved. Also, in some places, alerts were sent to the wrong control room. Hence, defeating the purpose of installing the sensors, said the official of, the sewerage operations department. A senior civic official said, "The process of installing covers on manholes has been carried out at ward levels. A deadline has been set to cover all the open manholes by May 31. The assistant commissioners and sewerage department officials of all wards will then have to submit reports of their respective wards."
