THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After the successful piloting of G-Spider, an AI-powered robotic canal cleaning system at the Amayizhanchan canal near the railway station premises at Thampanoor in the capital last month, the corporation is planning to scale up robotic cleaning in the canal network.
Launched jointly by the corporation and Technopark based start-up Genrobotic Innovations, it aims to phase out manual scavenging and ensure safety of sanitation workers. Since the deployment of G-Spider, around six tonnes of floating and accumulated garbage were removed from the canal.
In an effort to explore the possibility of expansion, the authorities have launched a study to find out more critical locations where G-Spider can be deployed. According to sources, around 15 such locations have been identified in the canal stretch where garbage accumulation is hard to manage and manual cleaning is impossible. Mayor V V Rajesh told TNIE that the project is in the planning stage. “The new system is very effective and we will explore the possibility of deploying more numbers. But the plan is in its very initial stages,” said the mayor.
Arun George, co-founder of Genrobotics, said that they are flooded with enquiries from across the country for deployment of G-Spider. Greater Chennai Municipal Corporation (GCMC), Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Nagpur Municipal Corporation have already approached Genrobotic Innovations.
“We removed around two truck loads of accumulated waste from the location. We are working out a schedule and our plan is to remove waste atleast thrice a week. We need places for disposing of waste removed from the canal and the corporation will have to arrange the vehicles. The removed waste was transported to the material collection facility (MCF) at Chalai and the civic authorities have promised to provide two more MCFs for the purpose,” said Arun.
National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE), Emergency Response Sanitation Unit (ERSU) by Swach Bhartah Mission and Smart City Mission are some of the schemes under the Centre that can fund such projects, he said. “The Union government’s policy is to put an end to manual scavenging and promote mechanised cleaning. There is immense scope and many urban local bodies across the state are exploring such initiatives to phase out manual scavenging,” Arun added.
Genrobotics has set up the system at a cost of Rs 60 lakh, while the corporation will bear operational expenses. The civic body is expected to pay around Rs 40,000 per month for upkeep and maintenance of the system.