The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is soon to send a letter to the state irrigation minister for dredging of canals in the city before monsoon. The civic body is also to carry out survey for the same.

Every year, prior to monsoon, the civic body and the state irrigation department, carries out dredging work in all the big and small canals in the city to ensure proper flow of water through the canals.

The chance of waterlogging increases, especially during monsoon, when the water from the roads is unable to pass through canals which have become choked with silt or dumped garbage.

The civic body will soon send a letter to the state irrigation minister requesting to carry out dredging and desiltation work in the big canals under the irrigation department.

A survey will be carried out by the sewerage and drainage department of the KMC to mark the canals, both small and big ones, that need dredging, KMC sources said.

According to a KMC official, there are small-size canals under the civic body from where water flows to the bigger ones. However, due to deposited silt, stagnant water and dumped materials, these smaller canals get completely choked, restricting the flow of water to the bigger ones.

This is one of the major causes for waterlogging in the city roads. Desiltation of smaller canals will help them link with the bigger ones, pointed out the official.

Some of the bigger canals that require dredging/ de-siltation are Bantola, Begor, Charial and Manikhali. Meanwhile, it has come to light that a canal beside the Science City on EM Bypass has become completely choked with silt that is flowing in from the KMC Jai Hind Water Treatment Plant located in the area.

This has paved way for waterlogging issues in the area after every rainfall. The EM Bypass area often gets flooded after a bout of rainfall as the water from the road is unable to pass through the canal due to deposited silt, an official said.

The concerned canal requires instant desiltation to curb the menace. A letter for the purpose has already been sent to director general (DG) of the civil department, said the official.