Not only sand, but also bottles, plastic utensils and even an iPhone were taken from them
Since the beginning of March, Lviv and the annexed communities have been carrying out the traditional spring cleaning of rainwater inlets. As of today, 100% of all rainwater inlets in the city have been cleaned. According to the Department of Housing and Infrastructure, along with cleaning the stormwater inlets, utilities flushed the drainage network and, in case of pipe breakage, repaired and replaced the damaged sections.
“Cleaning rainwater inlets and bringing them into proper condition is a very important part of the work of the city’s utilities, because when it starts to rain and the inlet is faulty, it will not be able to perform its function of removing rainwater properly,” explains Ivan Matkivsky, Head of the Engineering Department at Lviv City Council.
According to him, there are almost 9,000 rainwater inlets in Lviv together with the annexed communities. Most of them are in the Shevchenkivskyi and Halytskyi districts. At the same time, the most difficult and time-consuming task is to clean the inlets in the Halych district, as there are water gates on the inlets.
The clean-up was carried out by road maintenance companies in the districts. If necessary, district administrations also engaged contractors to carry out the work. During the cleaning, not only sand and small debris were found in the inlets. For example, the Lychakiv District Public Utility Company and Dobrobut Utility Company, which cleaned stormwater inlets in Lychakiv district, found plastic bottles and disposable tableware. They also found tyres, wires, metal cores from bicycle wheels, children’s toys, flashlights, and plastic cups.
“Recently, we took out the latest model iPhone from a rain gutter. A resident of Lviv was talking on the phone, and by accident the phone fell and got into the rainwater inlet. Desperate attempts to retrieve the phone were unsuccessful, and the man turned to Lychakiv District Housing and Communal Services – they took the smartphone out of the rainwater inlet and returned it to the owner.
In general, we ask residents not to use the inlets as a garbage bin. In the event of a heavy rainfall, the inlet will not be able to perform its function,” the Lychakiv district administration said.