'Tech Revolution!': Kerala Becomes First State To Use Robotic Scavengers To Clean Manholes

The Kerala government, on February 24, launched the robotic scavenger - Bandicoot to clean sewages in the temple town, Guruvayoor. With this, the state becomes the first in the country to have used robotic technology to clean all its commissioned manholes. This comes across as a much-needed change at a time when the number of deaths caused by manual scavenging are at alarming numbers.

In 2022, the Centre released data that claimed that 161 workers have died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks in the last three years. Despite being banned under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013, manual scavenging is still practiced across many states. Tamil Nadu in the South had reported the highest number of manual scavenging deaths at 27, followed by 26 in the Northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The data presented showed how the caste-based practice, which was first banned in 1993, continues to prevail and take the lives of hundreds in the country. In such a time, the move adopted by Kerala would hopefully reflect in other parts of the country and bid goodbye to engaging people in the hazardous profession of manual scavenging.

ASolution To A Hazardous Profession

As a part of the 100-day action plan of the state government, the Water Resources Minister, Roshi Augustine, launched Bandicoot under the Guruvayur Sewerage Project in Thrissur district. With its launch in the temple town, the minister claims that manual scavenging marks an end in Kerala. Augustine proudly announced that "Now Kerala has become the first state in the country to use robotic scavengers to clean manholes." Back in 2018, the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) started using Bandicoot to clean the manholes in the capital city of Trivandrum. Later on, it went on to be introduced in other metropolitan cities, such as Ernakulam.

The robotic Tron Unit, a major component of Bandicoot, functions in a similar way such as a person. It enters the manhole, removes sewage using robotic hands, and releases it at the designated site. Adding along to this, it has features of being waterproof, HD vision cameras, and sensors that can detect harmful gases inside the manholes. With the inauguration of the robotic scavenger in Guruvayur Municipality, Augustine said that it would be a major step towards the use of technology-driven solutions for manhole cleaning across the state.

A Tech Solution For Multiple Concerns

Bandicoot, developed by the Kerala-based Genrobotics, had recently bagged the 'Kerala Pride' award at a global conclave organised by the Kerala Startup Mission. A report by NDTV quoted Genrobotics calling Bandicoot "the world's first-ever robotic scavenger." It was designed in an effort to eliminate manual scavenging and provide respite for the workers engaged in the hazardous profession.

During the inauguration, the minister also noted that the modernisation of the system would help monitor and contain the spread of epidemics and serious health challenges caused by sewages. Apart from cleaning all the commissioned sewerage and drainages in Kerala, Bandicoot robots are currently deployed in countable few towns across 17 states and three Union Territories in the country.

Also Read: 97.25% Involved In Manual Scavenging Whose Caste Data Known Are SC: Report