Robotic Technology For City's Stormwater Drain Cleaning

With monsoon rains often leaving Hyderabad grappling with overflowing stormwater drains, traffic disruptions and inundated low-lying areas, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has rolled out an innovative solution.

For the first time, robotic technology for stormwater drain cleaning has been launched as a pilot project in Circle-12.

Equipped with high-resolution CCTV cameras, the robotic machines are being deployed at major road junctions to detect blockages and carry out precision cleaning.

The system is designed to address recurring problems caused by silt accumulation, garbage dumping and damaged drainage channels.

On Wednesday night, Chief Engineer (Maintenance) Sahadev Ratnakar inspected the operation at the NMDC junction in Mehdipatnam where the robots were pressed into service.

Key features of the initiative include:

- Use of robotic machines with CCTV support to identify and clear drain blockages
- Swift removal of silt to prevent water stagnation and ensure smoother drainage during rains
- Implementation of strict safety protocols for both field staff and the public

GHMC Commissioner R V Karnan said that smart, technology-driven solutions would be leveraged to address civic challenges.

"We have launched stormwater drain cleaning with robotic technology as a pilot project in Hyderabad. If this initiative proves successful, the pilot project will be expanded across all the GHMC circles, and incidents of overflowing drains, traffic jams and flooding in low-lying areas will be significantly reduced, making this a significant step toward smart, technology-driven urban infrastructure management in the city," he said.