The Southern Naval Command, which earlier undertook a campaign to clean the plastic-choked Venduruthy Channel, has now launched a Water Garbage Scooper (WGS) to collect floating rubbish from water.
WGS, designed and manufactured by the Naval Ship Repair Yard (Kochi) using scrap, had its role demonstrated before Vice Admiral A.K. Chawla, chief of the Southern Naval Command, on Friday.
A number of trials were carried out to establish its proper functioning and safe operation before it was formally commissioned, the Navy said in a release. WGS consists of a floating platform with a scooper, which can be propelled over the water surface to collect floating garbage such as plastic bottles and thermocol. The scooper dumps the garbage into a collection tray, which can be subsequently emptied on shore, it said.
WGS is a zero-emission platform and has been equipped with all the basic controls including paddle-wheel and rudder to manoeuvre in shallow waters and narrow channels. The operator sits atop a modified bicycle seat, controls the paddle-wheel through a pedal and chain mechanism and the steering using the bicycle handle. The Navy said the platform would further augment efforts to clean the Venduruthy Channel.
