BMC to desilt Banganga Tank using remote controlled robotic device
The move comes three months after the steps of the heritage structure was damaged while the civic body was carrying out restoration works.
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Listed as a ‘Grade-I Heritage Site’, the Banganga is one of the last remaining natural water bodies in Mumbai (File Photo)The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to shell out Rs 1.20 crore for the desilting of centuries-old Banganga Tank in south Mumbai’s Walkeshwar. The desilting work will be carried out using a remote controlled robotic device.
The move comes three months after the steps of the heritage structure was damaged while the civic body was carrying out restoration works. Civic officials said that a new tender was floated specifically for desilting the tank, while the work on restoration work is currently underway simultaneously.
“During the last day of Pitru Paksha, people offer religious offerings at Banganga. This eventually creates a spill on the water leading to pollution. Therefore, a contractor is being appointed who will be cleaning the entire water body as well as keeping it free from pollution,” said an official.
Civic officials said that for desilting of the water, a solar impulse device called ‘jellyfishbot’ will be deployed in the tank. This device is a remote controlled robot that operates on solar energy, equipped to remove floating waste from the surface of water. A trial run of this device was carried in the tank earlier this week.
“The device is designed in a way that it is equipped to float and travel up to 1.5 km and efficiently collect floating waste from the water. The machine is compact in size and can easily manoeuvre and wouldn’t require deployment of any additional manpower in the water body,” the official said.
Located in the upscale Walkeshwar neighbourhood of south Mumbai, Banganga is a stepwell whose origin dates back to the 12th century. This tank is recognised and protected as a heritage site by the Maharashtra Archaeological Department. The steps are constructed with black basalt stones, while the ‘Deepastambhs’ located within the periphery are constructed with lime-plaster and bricks.
Listed as a ‘Grade-I Heritage Site’, the Banganga is one of the last remaining natural water bodies in Mumbai and the tank is known to store fresh water even though it is in close proximity to the Arabian Sea.
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