RMC intensifies preparedness across city before rains hit

Ranchi: With the monsoon likely to reach the state by mid-June, the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has launched a preparedness drive across the city on a war footing.The civic body’s priority list includes desilting choked drains, constructing new ones, tree pruning and intensified fogging to keep vector-borne diseases at bay.“We are fully prepared for monsoon. Drainage construction has been completed in several areas and is progressing rapidly in others. Simultaneously, road repair is underway to ensure potholes don’t trouble commuters once rains hit. We are confident that waterlogging will be significantly mitigated this season,” said Sanjay Kumar, RMC’s additional administrator.The civic body has adopted a stratified approach to tackle the vast drainage network based on size. Kiran Kumari, assistant public health officer of RMC said, “We have already completed two extensive rounds of desilting around 30 large drains across the city using machines. A final round of cleaning will be executed just before the monsoon. Work on medium and smaller internal drains is also progressing simultaneously.”RMC has deployed a dedicated workforce of 1,200 personnel for drain cleaning, backed by heavy machinery fleet. “Soon, dedicated quick response teams (QRTs) will be formed to handle emergency waterlogging situations during monsoon,” Kumari said.RMC has also identified areas where waterlogging has been severe in the previous years. Along with constructing new drains, work is also being undertaken to improve old and dilapidated or non-functional drainage systems. Construction of 7 drains has been completed, 19 projects are in progress, and contracts for 12 additional drains have been allocated.Safety hazards from overhead trees are being managed by the corporation’s horticulture wing to prevent any casualty during squalls. Following an intensive drive in May, tree pruning was completed at 139 locations, and 46 dead or dangerously leaning trees were cleared. A roster-based action plan has been mapped out for June and July, identifying 12 major transit corridors and vulnerable zones for continuous monitoring.On the health front, RMC has stepped up its anti-larval operations. Fogging has been increased from two daily shifts to three. “We are utilising a mix of thermal and cold fogging techniques. Since the anti-larvae chemical remains effective for three days, our rotation ensures every ward is covered twice a week. By mid-June, we will scale up operations by launching door-to-door larvicidal surveillance,” Kumari said.