BMC’s new experiment to prevent manhole accidents, work of covering them with ‘railguard’ started
To enhance the safety of both pedestrians and municipal employees during maintenance and repair work of manholes, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will install a prototype of ‘Manhole Rail Guard’ on a pilot basis in the ‘L’ section.
The square-shaped safety barrier, made by a private organization, was inspected by Mayor Ritu Tawde and Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijeet Bangar at the BMC headquarters on Monday. Many corporators were also present during the demonstration. This step has been taken at a time when special attention is being paid to manhole safety after recent incidents related to open manholes during monsoon. The pilot project will help the municipal corporation test the effectiveness of the device before deciding to implement it across Mumbai.
During inspection, Tawde and Bangar suggested some improvements in the model. He suggested that the rail guard should be ‘collapsible’ so that it can be adapted to different sizes of manholes. They also suggested ‘reflective strips’ or ‘flashing lights’ and other improvements to the design to make it more visible at night and in low light.
‘Manhole Rail Guard’ is designed to form a protective barrier around an open manhole during maintenance work. This reduces the risk of pedestrians or drivers accidentally entering the work zone. This model is 1 meter high, 1.5 meter long and 1.5 meter wide. It is available in two weight variants of 225 kg and 80 kg to suit different work requirements.
BMC will use the model on a trial basis in the ‘L’ section and see its performance at the actual work site. Feedback from municipal employees, technical experts and citizens will be considered before finalizing the design and deciding to implement this security device in all administrative divisions of Mumbai.
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