PMC launches robots to replace manual scavenging for sewer cleaning

PUNE, Maharashtra: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has introduced three advanced robots to clean and maintain manholes in the city safely without having workers entering them. The initiative has been launched to bring more safety to the maintenance of city manholes. Vikram Kumar, Commissioner, PMC, launched the robots at the PMC office on May 2.

Conventional maintenance of such manholes includes manual scavenging, which requires humans to enter manholes and clean them physically. This practice has claimed the lives of many workers across the nation. To address this issue, PMC has introduced robots named ‘Bandicoot’ to clean the sewers of the city.

The Bandicoot robot is the world’s first sewer cleaning robot developed under the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Swachh Bharat’ initiatives. It has been developed by a National Award-winning start-up – Genrobotics. Under this initiative, sanitation workers will be employed as robot operators after receiving training and rehabilitation programmes. The user interface of the Bandicoot Robot is interactive and user friendly. It would also offer a dignified work profile to these workers.

The Bandicoot robot is equipped with a human comparable robotic arm and various sensors that would enable the robot to perform the cleaning action more efficiently. Moreover, these robots have special 4 IP68 waterproof cameras to assist the operator in cleaning the manholes in a more precise and efficient manner, even under low light conditions.