E-Paper
Noida starts cleaning drains amid Covid-19 pandemic
NOIDA:
NOIDA:
The Noida authority has started desilting drains in order to keep the city clean during rainy season.
Cleaning of drains has become more important amid the Covid-19 pandemic as the authority has a challenge to help the health department prevent the spread of infection.
There are 75 main drains and 44 small drains across Noida. The authority has hired contractors to desilt 68 out of 75 main drains and the work is in full swing, officials said.
The authority will hire contractors for other drains soon as it has fixed June 30 as deadline to desilt all big and small drains, the officials said, adding that Noida has 300-km total drain length if all small and big drains’ length is put together.
“We have directed the staff to expedite the work of de-silting so that it gets completed on time. We have made sure that the workers engaged in the job use all safety gear,” said Ritu Maheshwari, chief executive officer of Noida authority. Maheshwari is also conducting inspections at the site to get the work done as per deadline.
The authority has decided to ensure that the staff engaged in the desilting work wear masks and follow all social distancing norms to stay safe in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The authority has also directed the contractors that they should first desilt some of the biggest drains, including Harola drain, Jhundpura drain, NSEZ drain, and Sector 105 drain, among others, said the officials.
Every year, the Noida authority faces a huge challenge in cleaning and desilting city’s drains before the monsoon.
“We want to better the cleaning work also in view of the Covid-19 pandemic because water logging will take place if drains are not desilted properly. And water logging will further affect the cleaning condition of the city crucial to contain the spread of Covid-19,” said another Noida authority official, requesting anonymity.
