Delhi’s civic bodies will go for mechanised sweeping

Civic bodies plan to use self-propelled hydraulic machines to sweep roads under its jurisdiction. The machines will be smaller than those used by the Delhi government to be operated in narrow lanes

Almost two weeks after the Delhi government initiated mechanised sweeping on PWD roads in its bid curb pollution, the municipal corporations are planning to roll out something similar.

PWD workers use self-propelled hydraulic machines to Vici (Sonu Mehta/ Hindustan Times)

The municipal corporations plan to use self-propelled hydraulic machines to sweep roads under its jurisdiction. Officials said the machines will be smaller than those being used by the Delhi government and that will enable them to operate them in the narrow lanes.

“Most of the municipal areas comprises small colonies or residential areas, which makes mechanized sweeping almost impossible. These smaller machines will enable us to go for an environment-friendly way of sweeping,” said Radhey Shyam Sharma, chairman, standing committee, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).

A report by ‘IIT Kanpur on Air pollution and greenhouse gases in Delhi’ states that soil and dust contribute 27% to PM10 and PM2.5 in summer.

Studies have shown PM10 leads to respiratory and heart problems, especially in children.

Sources said that while all three municipal corporations are mulling over the project, it is likely to begin on a pilot basis in SDMC in the coming months.

According to its plan, the corporations have decided to use one machine per four wards to enable maximum usage and say that the fleet would be increased depending on the need.

The municipal corporation had previously tried its hand at something similar but failed. Officials said that while a total of 29 machines were deployed then, the lack of ideal road condition made them unusable.

The bulky size of the machine made turning problematic, especially in residential colonies which have a large number of cars parked throughout the day.

“We had to depend on sanitation workers then, but these machines are almost the size of a golf cart and have a capacity of about 500 kgs. Further they can cover almost 15km per hour, whereby ensuring that all the wards are covered,” said a municipal official.

The municipal corporations have a total of 272 wards divided into three municipal corporations. North and South Delhi Municipal Corporations have 104 wards each, the east civic body has 64 wards.

Previously, the Delhi government had decided to switch to mechanical sweeping on all PWD roads as a preventive measure to curb pollution. Currently, the PWD has six vacuuming machines that operate around Naraina, AIIMS, and Mathura Road. The department says that six more will be procured in the coming months.