Govt to map drains on mobile phone app to plug holes quickly
NEWDELHI: The Delhi government will conduct geo-mapping of all drains in the city, as well as the inlet points from where sewerage enters the drains. Officials said the move is aimed at helping the government understand the current situation, as well as problems in drain network and ways to effectively manage it.
Delhi urban development minister Satyendar Jain last week called a meeting of officials from the flood and irrigation department. During the meeting, officials were briefed about the plan and its modalities.
“The geo-mapping of all the drains across the city is needed for more accurate measures to deal with sewerage and waterlogging problems. The data collection for drain mapping will be done through a mobile application. It will help us get live online data of drain network and more effective management of drains,” an official familiar with the project, said, requesting anonymity.
He added that under the plan, engineers will have to go into the field and survey the drains.
After reaching the site, they will have to take photographs of the drains, which will be geo-located by the app automatically.
At present, the government does not have any exact data about drains or the sewerage network, due to which the concerned departments have been unable to employ specific solutions for sewer and other problems related with drainage system.
“By next week, data collection for drain mapping will be done. All the locations from where sewerage enters the drains will be marked. It will help us understand the existing situation of the drain network and enable us to plan problem-oriented specific solutions,” the official added.
Further explaining the plan, the official said through this exercise, the government will be able to learn about the exact problem areas in the drainage system.
For instance, if the survey reveals that there are two three major spots where sewerage problem is heavy on any drain, then a sewage treatment plant can be proposed there.
“Besides providing an updated online data and enabling the government in taking problem-oriented solutions, this exercise will also bring transparency to the system. Now the engineers will not be able to fudge the data. They will have to go on the spot for the survey,” the official said.
Last month, the public works department had conducted a geomapping survey of all the roads in the city to find out potholes and other road-related problems.