The Centre decided to give KMC money from the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission scheme after mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay met officials in Delhi and convinced them of the need for funds to revamp the century-old drainage system.

KMC will start the drainage overhaul project within three months, the mayor told TOI over the phone from Delhi. "As a first step, we will take up the worst-hit areas where the age-old brick sewerlines are collapsing for want of repair or renovation," Bhattacharya said.

The mayor claimed after the revamp the drainage system will be at par with best in the world. For the first time, the civic body will use `trenchless technology' in desilting the brick sewerlines.

"Without digging the roads, with the help of the new technology, we will be able to reach the bottom of the sewerlines and desilt those," a senior civic official said.

Before taking up the actual work, video photographs will be taken of some of the worst sewerlines to find out how damaged they are. "Along with desiltation, we will repair and renovate the worst-affected brick sewerlines," the official added.