Vadodara: With the monsoon approaching, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation has intensified pre-monsoon work to prevent flooding and waterlogging, stepping up drain cleaning, infrastructure upgrades and emergency preparedness, following last year’s floods.VMC officials said extensive work is underway on stormwater drains, channels and drainage lines across the city. Ongoing stormwater drain projects have been prioritized to ensure timely completion ahead of the rainy season. So far, the civic body has cleared 24.37km of storm water drains and 48.24km of channels. In addition, 26,125 catchpits and 28,960 manholes have been cleaned. Officials said the remaining work is expected to be completed well before the onset of the monsoon. To strengthen flood mitigation, the VMC is executing 23 new storm drain projects with a combined length of about 15km. Drainage lines spanning 11.61km are also being laid at 25 locations. The civic body has kept emergency equipment ready, including 37 earthmovers, 33 dumpers, 18 jetting machines, 10 suction machines and 40 desilting machines, along with other machinery, to respond swiftly in the event of heavy rain.
