Month on, Janakpuri sinkhole in Delhi awaits repair

Regular commuters have also been using alternative routes for the last month, adding to traffic and congestion in the area

New Delhi: The portion of a road that caved-in in Janakpuri in the first week of July after a spell of heavy rain is still to be repaired, with civic agencies saying that a full-fledged repair cannot be carried out until the monsoon is over.

The cave-in has been temporarily filled with sand and debris to prevent accidents. (Sanchit Khanna/ HT Photo)

The spot, which is along the Joginder Singh Marg towards Possangipur village, has remained cordoned off for at least five weeks.

Officials said that the hole has been partially filled to avoid accidents.

The city saw eight cave-in incidents in the first week of July, of which this was the largest when a portion of an arterial road maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD) collapsing on July 5. PWD officials said that the incident occurred due to a leakage in a sewer line laid by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), which has multiple lines passing under this road.

Following the incident, a temporary bypass pump was installed by DJB at the site to pump out the sewer water and prevent it from entering the portion of the road that had collapsed. However, the leakage continues once the pumping stops. Officials said that the pump is usually operated during the peak hours for about four hours in the morning and a couple of hours during the evening.

“We tried to initiate repair work but realised that the area was filled with water as soon as the pump stopped. It is not feasible to repair the road while the leakage continues. We wrote to DJB about it, but they said they need to issue a tender to change the damaged pipeline, which can only be done after the monsoon,” said a PWD official aware of the matter, requesting anonymity.

DJB did not respond to HT’s queries for a comment.

Regular commuters have also been using alternative routes for the last month, adding to traffic and congestion in the area.

For locals, particularly those residing in the urban village of Possangipur — falling at the end of the road, commuting has become a nightmare.

Rattan Lal, 32, who cycles from Possangipur to his workplace at Dwarka Mor, the only option is to take a much longer route via Janakpuri’s C1 block, or to reach the site of the cave-in and lift his cycle and carry it through the footpath on the side. “They initially opened a small portion of the road, but now the entire road has been shut.”