E-Paper
Ludhiana road cave-ins: MC to use tech to detect chinks in sewer lines
Technology such as ground penetrating radar will be used to check vulnerable points including Deep Nagar, Dugri phase 2, Kaka Marriage Palace Road, Model Town Extension, and Fountain Chowk
After facing a barrage of criticism over the Deep Nagar road cave-in, in which a woman and two schoolchildren had a close shave, the municipal corporation has finally decided to check the condition of the four-decade-old sewer lines crisscrossing the city’s underground.
Ground penetrating radar will be used to check vulnerable points such as Deep Nagar, Dugri phase 2, Kaka Marriage Palace Road, Model Town Extension, and Fountain Chowk among other areas where cave-ins are frequently reported. This will allow the authorities to assess the state of the sewer lines without digging up the roads. So far, the MC officials had been claiming that it is not possible to locate leakages in underground pipelines.
The MC had also proposed to replace the old sewer lines under the Smart City Mission. However, the project, which was to cost around ₹ 80 crore, is yet to see the light of the day.
Officials say damage to the brick-sewer lines causes leakage, which in turn causes soil erosion and ultimately the caving-in of portions of roads. The municipal corporation has been blaming the laying of underground wires for damage to the brick sewers.
MC commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal said, “Additional commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal is exploring options to assess the condition of sewer lines without digging up the area. Any hollow portions beneath the road will be identified and corrective measures will be taken. The matter was also discussed in the meeting of the MC’s finance and contracts committee (F and CC) on November 8. It will be difficult to identify leakages below the roads across the city, but the MC will cover the areas where cave-in incidents have been frequently reported.”
