Bengaluru: All manholes to be desilted by May-end, says BWSSB

Bengaluru: Officials of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) have started cleaning and desilting overflowing manholes that remain a major concern during the monsoon.

Board Chairman Ramprasat Manohar V has directed officials to complete the works before the end of May.

Senior board officials said manholes usually overflow when rainwater enters the sewerage network during heavy showers.

“Our sewerage network is designed to carry only sewage, and when large amounts of rainwater enter the network, the pressure opens up the manholes. Sometimes, the sewage also flows back,” an official explained.

To prevent such incidents, the BWSSB has cracked down on households that illegally connected rainwater pipelines to the sewerage network instead of storm water drains in the last one year.

"Hundreds of such connections have been removed and this is expected to prevent instances of overflowing of manholes or sewage flowing back,” another official said.