Bengaluru: The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has conducted a pilot test of a robotic machine designed to remove silt from stormwater drains, as part of efforts to modernise urban infrastructure management.
GBA Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao inspected the operation of the ‘Super Suction’ machine in HSR Layout, under the Bengaluru South City Corporation.
During a six-hour operation, the machine removed more than two feet of silt from a drain measuring around six feet wide and 30 feet long. Operated through a wireless remote, it can clean enclosed drains up to 30 metres long and has a silt storage capacity of 6,000 litres, along with a 2,000-litre water tank.
Officials have been asked to identify and clear vulnerable stretches, including the area near 17th Cross in HSR Layout’s 7th Sector, while strictly following safety protocols.
Rao said the technology could be adopted on a wider scale if the pilot proves successful. He also directed officials to install a three-metre-diameter pipeline instead of a box drain along the stretch from Silk Board Junction to HSR Layout.
