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Kitchlu Nagar sinkhole to be repaired in two weeks: MC
MC commissioner Ojasvi Alankar said the damaged portion of the sewer would be reconstructed with reinforced concrete before the manhole port above it was rebuilt and the crater covered
The massive crater that opened up on the main road in Kitchlu Nagar more than two days ago may take another two weeks to repair, as the municipal corporation has to first rebuild the damaged dart sewer beneath the road before restoring the surface. The cave-in occurred after soil erosion triggered by a puncture in the old brick-built sewer, making a simple patchwork repair impossible.
MC commissioner Ojasvi Alankar said the damaged portion of the sewer would be reconstructed with reinforced concrete before the manhole port above it was rebuilt and the crater covered. “This is an old dart sewer made of bricks. We will reconstruct the damaged portion with reinforced concrete to ensure that it doesn’t break again and this stretch doesn’t face any more cave-ins. Then the manhole port over it will be constructed and after a couple of weeks the entire crater could be finally fixed,” Alankar said.
The cave-in was the second at the same spot within a few days, raising concerns over the structural condition of the old sewer network beneath city roads. The MC’s preliminary investigation has found that the sewer was punctured during the laying of optical-fibre cables by private companies, causing soil to erode beneath the road and eventually resulting in the cave-in.
The finding has prompted the MC to widen its scrutiny beyond Kitchlu Nagar. Alankar has ordered an inspection of dart sewers at all manhole points across the city to identify possible punctures and assess the risk of further cave-ins.
Deputy commissioner Himanshu Jain and Alankar inspected the repair site late on Friday night and remained there for around three to four hours to take stock of the situation and expedite the work. Alankar inspected the site again on Saturday afternoon.
The Kitchlu Nagar incident has also revived concerns over the structural integrity of the city’s ageing dart-sewer network, which runs for around 40 to 50 km. The MC is now considering a comprehensive rehabilitation plan and is likely to send a proposal to the state government for the work.
Alankar said the proposed rehabilitation would focus on reinforcing the existing sewers from the inside with concrete to improve their structural strength instead of replacing the entire network, a process that would require a much larger project. The rehabilitation, however, is expected to come at a steep cost.
According to MC, reinforcing around 1 km of the sewer network could cost nearly ₹50 crore. At that rate, rehabilitating the entire 40-50 km network could require an investment running into thousands of crores.
