The city, which has witnessed seven road cave-in incidents this year, saw two more such incidents after a fresh spell of rain on Friday. The first incident of the day was reported in the morning at the intersection next to Guru Nanak Public School in Sarabaha Nagar, around 100 metres from the Municipal Corporation’s Zone D office.
The road caved in adjacent to a sewer manhole. MC superintending engineer (building and road cell) Sham Lal Gupta said soil erosion beneath the road, caused by the collapse of soil into the manhole, triggered the cave-in. “There is a possibility that the sewer wall has been damaged, leading to gradual soil erosion beneath the road. This is the reason behind this and most of the cave-in incidents reported in the city,” Gupta said.
Insiders in the MC say officials have been concerned about the quality and condition of manholes across the city. A senior MC official, requesting anonymity, said he had urged the MC commissioner to direct the operations and maintenance cell to conduct quality checks at manhole points across the city. The cave-in incidents have brought embarrassment to the civic body, he said.
The second cave-in was reported at Mint Gumri Chowk. While the exact cause was not immediately clear, officials said leakage from water pipes may have led to soil erosion beneath the road. The same stretch had witnessed a similar incident last month.
{{/usCountry}}The second cave-in was reported at Mint Gumri Chowk. While the exact cause was not immediately clear, officials said leakage from water pipes may have led to soil erosion beneath the road. The same stretch had witnessed a similar incident last month.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the portion of the road that caved in at Kitchlu Nagar last week is still under repair. That incident was also attributed to soil erosion caused by damage to an underground sewer structure. In June, another major cave-in was reported near Sagoo Chowk for the same reason.
Social activist Arvind Sharma said the MC carried out temporary repairs instead of coming up with a permanent solution.
Similar incidents
August 2: A 10-foot-deep crater appeared near Mint Gumri Chowk in Model Town.
July 27: A portion of the road at Mint Gumri Chowk on the Model Town–Deep Hospital Road stretch caved in.
July 2: Three cave-in incidents reported in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. A portion of the newly repaired Pakhowal Road also caved in.
June 7: A portion of the road between Mint Gumri Chowk and Gulati Chowk sank.
June 5: Water seepage for two days created a 10-foot-deep and 12-foot-wide crater near Bharat Nagar Chowk.
May 24: A portion of the road near Kapoor Hospital Chowk in Chhawani Mohalla caved in.
March 2: A portion of the road along Buddha Nullah near Chand Cinema caved in.