Chennai’s sanitary workers will no longer rely solely on brooms to clean the city’s streets. On Monday, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) introduced 15 vacuum-operated garbage suction vehicles to assist in solid waste management. These vehicles were deployed across five zones: Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Ambattur, and Anna Nagar. Each vehicle boasts a 10-meter-long, 2.5-centimeter-wide flexible plastic pipe with a handle at the 5-meter mark, mounted on a small van. This pipe, along with a two cubic meter storage capacity and an engine, allows the vehicles to effectively collect waste.
Sanitary workers have expressed appreciation for the new technology, particularly for its ability to access hazardous areas, such as those around electrical transformers, even during rainy weather. The vacuum cleaner also proves effective in removing waste from narrow spaces, like between buildings in slum board apartments.
This initiative is part of a broader cleanliness drive launched by the GCC. According to S. Rajeswari, GCC superintending engineer (mechanical and quality control), the vacuum machines prevent workers from direct contact with waste, enhancing safety. While the vehicles were purchased during the pandemic, they were initially shelved. Now, under the directive of GCC commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran, they are being utilized in zones where solid waste management remains unprivatized. Each zone will be equipped with three vehicles.
Currently, eight of these vehicles are operational, with the remaining units undergoing servicing and scheduled to be deployed by Friday. However, some concerns have been raised about the machines’ limited capabilities. Raghukumar Choodamani, convenor of the Perambur Neighbourhood Development Forum, notes that while the vehicles effectively suck up collected waste, they do not sweep the area beforehand. He advocates for acquiring vehicles that combine sweeping and suction functions, similar to those utilized in European countries, to maximize efficiency and minimize resource expenditure. This suggestion reflects a growing focus on optimizing waste management practices and ensuring comprehensive cleanliness within Chennai’s urban environment.
