Heaped silt, an eyesore across Hyderabad
Manual and machine-aided silt removal from the catchpits is a common sight on all roads; citizens have been flagging this issue for years, but no solution has been figured out as yet
Removal of silt from stormwater drains, which is usually taken up before monsoon in order to facilitate free flow of rainwater, is now on in full swing across the zones in Greater Hyderabad.
Manual and machine-aided silt removal from the catchpits is a common sight on all roads, as also that of mounds of silt dumped right beside the grilled pit. The heaps are an eyesore, and by their extreme foul smell, an unbearable menace too.
There is also another issue with desilting during monsoons. If it rains before the the heaps are d, the silt would flow right back into the catchpit from where it was d, thus rendering all the effort futile. Citizens have been flagging this issue for years, but no solution has been figured out as yet.
“This happens every year. Silt is not lifted immediately after cleaning, choking all the internal roads, and creating parking issues for residents. If it rains, the silt will be back in the drain, and things will be back to square one,” complained Mohammed Taufeeq, a resident of Toli Chowki.
“The other day, I tripped and almost fell on the heap of freshly dug up silt. This could be dangerous,” shared Mehreen, a resident of Jahangir Nagar in LB Nagar.
Officials from the GHMC justify that desilting is an year-long process, and cannot be stopped during monsoons.
“We keep desilting through the season, because rainwater brings fresh silt. The heaps cannot be d immediately, as they are an environmental hazard for commuters when wet and dripping from vehicle. We need to wait till they are dry,” says a senior official from the Engineering department.
In normal circumstances, the silt in the stormwater drains would be without foul odour, but considering the situation in Hyderabad where sewage lines are connected with stormwater drains everywhere, desilting becomes a dirty phenomenon.
Contractors doing desilting works are obligated to cart away the silt waste to the solid waste management facility at Jawahar Nagar. Payment for desilting would be reverse-calculated based on the weight of the silt deposited there, the official informed.
Weight of the dried up silt arriving at Jawahar Nagar is considered 60% of the actual silt d and payments are done accordingly. If the silt is not lifted, no payment will be made for the same.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy reportedly issued specific instructions that all floating trash should be d from stormwater drains. Removal of floating trash also brings out silt, which is dumped on the roadside, the officials said.
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