2 weeks Ago By Yagnesh Bharat Mehta
Surat: Metal detectors, typically associated with security or landmine detection, are set to play a unique role in Surat's urban infrastructure . The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has allocated Rs 25 lakh to procure metal detectors for locating buried machine holes in the city's drainage network—a move prompted by a tragic incident earlier this year. Each of the city's nine zones will be equipped with detectors after a two-year-old boy died in Feb by falling into an uncovered stormwater drainage hole.
The search for the child lasted over a day, revealing the difficulties faced by civic workers in tracing underground drainage lines and manholes—many of which had become inaccessible or invisible due to road construction. Officials revealed that locating machine holes along the drainage lines was extremely difficult during the operation, as many had been obscured over the years by road construction. In several cases, roads were built over existing drainage systems, making the manholes completely invisible.
Some drainage lines were also found to be linked with sewage lines, further complicating the search. "To locate the machine holes and drainage lines, fire personnel had to physically enter the system, and in some areas, roads had to be dug up to trace the drainage network ," said an SMC official. The problem is more severe in the city's outskirts, where drainage systems were initially built through farmlands and later covered by road infrastructure, making it nearly impossible for civic staff to identify access points.
To address these issues systematically, SMC will also implement Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of the city's drainage network. Initially, mapping will begin in developing areas and later extend to older zones. A budget of Rs 10 crore has been earmarked for this digitization project.
"Drainage lines are laid by the central department, maintained by zonal offices, and roads are built by another department altogether. Over time, with staff transfers and retirements, important records often go missing. With GIS mapping , we aim to centralize and preserve this data," said an official.
Faced with repeated challenges, the SMC is now turning to technology to ensure better infrastructure management and prevent similar tragedies in the future..
