E-Paper
After cave-ins, ‘sinking feeling’ in Lucknow’s Vikas Nagar
The Public Works Department (PWD) report exposed the ‘poor workmanship of contractors and negligence of Jal Nigam officials’ during installation of sewer line
LUCKNOW Seepage in Vikas Nagar’s sewer network, apparently marred by corruption, caused yet another cave-in on the road near the Gulachin Temple around two days back. This was the third such incident since March this year and commuters were now wary of the ground beneath them.
The Public Works Department (PWD) report exposed the ‘poor workmanship of contractors and the negligence of Jal Nigam officials’ during the installation of the sewer line. This crucial infrastructure carries the entire area’s sewage to the treatment plant.
On July 7, a large chunk of the road in Vikas Nagar caved in after rain pounded the city for hours. In March, the locality witnessed a similar situation when a sizeable portion of a road here caved in after heavy showers. On March 3, there was another cave-in on the stretch while the road also caved in on the same stretch on November 28, 2022.
The place where the hole in the ground appeared on July 7 was in Sector 8 near the powerhouse crossing. The one which appeared a few days back was also located around the same stretch.
“I am afraid of even coming out on the road. It’s for the government to come up with a permanent solution as the cave-in has created panic,” said Jyoti, a resident of the area.
A PWD official said the cave-in occurred due to continuous leakage from a trunk sewer line laid by the Jal Nigam below the coated surface of the road. The leak gradually weakened the soil beneath the road due to which the portion collapsed.
The Jal Nigam had deployed Suez Company, the agency that laid the pipe, to repair the leak, said officials.
For public safety, the municipal corporation had temporarily barricaded the affected section, areas around manholes and diverted traffic to alternative routes.
LMC, PWD, Jal Kal and Jal Nigam will have to expedite repair works on the stretch on a war footing, said MLA OP Srivastava.
The PWD report, released on August 1, cited poor quality work under the JNNURM for road subsidence in Vikas Nagar. It stated that the subsidence on this route was attributed to a damaged trunk sewer line installed by the Jal Nigam approximately 14 years ago under the JNNURM scheme.
The 1600mm diameter sewer line, laid at a depth of 13 metres, led to continuous soil erosion and cavity formation due to leakage. Suez India Ltd, responsible for the maintenance of this sewer line, conducted a robotic survey of the 1750-metre stretch. The survey revealed that the cement concrete pipe used for the sewer line had eroded and weakened, causing the soil to get washed away with the sewer water, leading to road subsidence.
PWD executive engineer Manish Varma said, “Unless the seepage in the trunk line is controlled, incidents of road subsidence will continue to happen.”
PWD engineers said repair of the sewer line will have to be undertaken in a phased manner to plug in the leakage. At the same time, compaction of road will have to be restored regularly to maintain smooth traffic flow. Road cutting in the area will also have to be banned till the sewer line is strengthened.
Varma said, “I have written a letter to all departments for not cutting PWD road till the rainy season is over. LESA has been requested to lay trenches for their cables so that there is no need of digging roads.”
CAVE-IN CASES
*In Vikas Nagar on Nov 28, 2022
* Road in Sector 4 Vikas Nagar caved in on Mar 3
* Cave-in in Vikas Nagar near Shiv Murti on July 7
* A section of road from Hussadia crossing towards Patrakarpuram in Gomti Nagar caved in on May 23, 2024
* Sarvodaya Nagar Bandha Road near Lav Kush Nagar caved-in on July 31, 2024
