Coimbatore municipal corporation uses robots to end manual scavenging

In a bid to eliminate manual scavenging in Coimbatore, the municipal corporation is now taking the help of robots to clean the clogged drains of the city.

In a bid to eliminate manual scavenging in Coimbatore, the municipal corporation is now taking the help of robots to clean the clogged drains of the city. A few feet tall robot with a monitor and a screen has been given to the sanitary workers to clean the manholes without the need to peep inside the manhole filled with toxic gases and dirt.

These robots can go 20 feet deeper inside the open hole and clear the blockages. "These robots are already in use in seven cities. But today, it was the first time that it has been used by the workers of Coimbatore Corporation. We are working on advanced robots now which in future can rescue babies trapped inside the borewells,' said Rashid, a robot designer.

Two years back, the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) has also launched jetting machines for sanitation workers. According to DICCI, around 1300 had died due to manual scavenging in 2015.

The central government has also launched Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban on October 2, 2014, which aims at making urban India free from open defecation and achieving 100 per cent scientific management of municipal solid waste in 4,041 statutory towns in the country. The objectives of this mission are as follows:-

- Elimination of open defecation- Eradication of Manual Scavenging- Modern and Scientific Municipal Solid Waste Management- To effect behavioural change regarding healthy sanitation practices- Generate awareness about sanitation and its linkage with public health. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)