Ahmedabad: 1,270 CCTV cameras to monitor waterlogging

AHMEDABAD: A total of 1,290 CCTV cameras will keep an eye on waterlogging in some 150 localities in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. Apart from these 150 spots, monitoring of the city’s nine underpasses will also be done through CCTV.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) officials, while giving out details of their pre-monsoon prepartion, said these underpasses and 150 places will be constantly monitored from the control room set up at Tagore Hall in Paldi. The control room will work in coordination with traffic police, Torrent power, the irrigation department and other government departments.
AMC officials said that usually catch pits, storm water drains, manholes and others infrastructure are cleaned and desilted before the onset of the monsoon. They said that due to the Covid-19 situation in the city, agencies have been asked to take up this task with proper precautions.
The officials said that the first round of cleaning is over and 70% of manholes and storm water drains have been cleaned or desilted.
The city has 46,500-odd catch pits and 33,120 are yet to be cleared for the second time. The AMC stated that cleaning of the catch pits was done in areas that are not containment zones.
The AMC officials said to prevent waterlogging, 54 small sumps have been constructed. Preventive maintenance of the sewage pumping station have also been completed.
The officials said that apart from the main control room at Paldi, there will be 17 other control rooms operational round the clock. Officials said that using CCTV cameras, in case of heavy rain the underpasses will be immediately closed vehicles do not get stuck in them.. The AMC and traffic police will also issue warnings to commuters and close roads if there is heavy waterlogging.