Sohna Road caves in for 6th time in 3 years after sewer line collapse

NHAI barricaded the affected stretch near Subash Chowk after a sinkhole formed above a 30-year-old pipeline.

A portion of the Sohna road near Subash Chowk caved in on Wednesday after a master sewer line pipeline beneath the road surface gave way, forcing the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to barricade the affected area and close around 100 metres of one lane on the Gurugram-to-Sohna carriageway, officials said. This is the sixth such incident reported on the same stretch in the last three years.

Officials said the collapse near Sector 47 was caused by failure of an ageing master sewer line beneath the highway. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

According to officials, the cave-in was reported around 3.30pm near SD Adarsh Vidyalaya in Sector 47. An eyewitness said the damaged portion appeared to be around 10 to 12 feet wide and nearly 20 feet deep. NHAI officials said a team rushed to the spot after receiving information about the cave-in and found that a sinkhole nearly 10 feet wide had formed due to the collapse of a sewer pipeline flowing beneath the highway.

GMDA and NHAI will jointly repair the damaged sewer pipeline and relay the affected carriageway section. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

“The damaged portion of the road was barricaded immediately after the incident, and GMDA was informed about the matter. Barricades have been installed around the damaged road. The repair of the road will be carried out in coordination with GMDA,” said a senior NHAI official, asking not to be named.

Authorities said the master sewer line beneath the Sohna Highway, maintained by the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), was laid around 30 years ago and is currently in a dilapidated condition. “The matter of repair has been taken up with the GMDA and details regarding the contractor have been sought. The repair work will be undertaken at the earliest, with the damaged sewer line to be fixed first, followed by relaying of the road,” said Yogesh Tilak, project director, NHAI.

Last year, GMDA handed over the responsibility of strengthening the sewer pipeline to NHAI using the CIPP (cured-in-place pipe) method, with the cost to be borne by GMDA.

Following this, NHAI prepared a cost estimate of more than ₹90 crore for the project. However, GMDA sought a revision in the tender value due to the high cost, after which the estimate was reduced to ₹68 crore.

Hemant Kumar, chief engineer, GMDA, said the work to strengthen the sewer pipeline under Sohna Road had already been assigned to NHAI. “The work to strengthen the sewer pipeline has been assigned to the NHAI, while GMDA will bear the cost. We will take up the matter with the highway authority to get the work expedited,” he said.