With just around a week left for the onset of the rainy season, HMWS&SB MD Sudarshan Reddy on Monday announced the Monsoon Action Plan and directed the officials to ensure no lapses in its implementation. Along with daily monitoring of the 120 water logging points in the city, complaints must be resolved within half an hour, he said in a press statement.
Paying special attention to maintaining the quality of water supplied, he asked to ensure adequate chlorine in the water, along with keeping a check on sewage overflow.
“Hotspots must be identified and precautionary measures should be taken. Safety grills, red flags, indicator boards, and warning boards should be installed at dangerous manholes,” he said, adding that pollution identification machines must be used for prompt resolution of polluted water problems.
There are a total of 63,221 deep manholes in the city, out of which 26,798 fall under GHMC and 36,423 with other suburban municipalities. While safety grills have already been installed for most of the deep manholes in the GHMC, work in other municipalities is underway. The MD suggested officials work in coordination with GHMC and police departments.
Widespread awareness is expected to be created to ensure that no one opens the lids of manholes, except for when water board officials deem it necessary after due investigation. If citizens notice any open manhole, they can call customer care number 155313.
For the safety of the field officers and staff, a Central Safety Protocol Cell has been set up. The six-member team will audit and report on daily complaints received from field staff and ensure compliance with safety measures. An Emergency Response Team (ERT) has also been constituted which will work alongside the GHMC’s Disaster Management Team.
A special security team is also expected to survey the water bodies and safety measures, while a Daily Situation Report (DSR) will be expected out of area officers.
