E-Paper
Vikas Nagar road cave-ins: Fault lies in 2-km sewer line, reveals survey
A 2 km sewer line in Vikas Nagar has developed multiple cracks and leaks, causing road cave-ins. Officials call for immediate replacement due to significant risks.
A trunk sewer pipeline that covers a stretch of two kilometres in Vikas Nagar, an area that has reported multiple incidents of road cave-ins, here has developed multiple cracks and leakages. This was revealed in a recent survey taken up by authorities.
The sewer line, the construction of which is allegedly marred by corrupt practices, was laid as part of the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme in 2010. It requires immediate replacement, officials confirmed.
“The findings of a robotic survey have confirmed that the entire pipeline is weak and vulnerable to further damages, posing significant risk of more road collapses. The pipeline is damaged at several places. So, it should be replaced soon,” Manish Varma, an executive engineer with the public works department, said.
The problem became glaringly evident in July this year when a section of the road near Power House Crossing caved in. The collapse resulted in a massive crater, approximately that was five metre deep, wide and long. Similar sinkholes had appeared on the stretch before too, once in 2022 and again in March this year, both due to leaks in the trunk sewer line.
This prompted the water department to carry out a robotic survey on the 1,750-metre-long sewer line through its project executing agency Suez India.
“This dangerous road, which runs from the statue of Lord Shiva to the Labour Adda intersection, has caved in four times over the last 18 months, leaving deep pits that pose a significant risk to vehicles and pedestrians alike,” said Rakesh Kumar Mishra, the area corporator.
“The road, which is approximately 60 feet wide, was originally laid in 2010 and a sewer line was installed by Jal Nigam at around ₹50 crore. However, after just 14 years, this sewer line has deteriorated significantly due to poor quality of pipes and alleged corruption in the laying of the pipeline. Over the past year and a half, the underground pipeline has repeatedly suffered leakages, causing the road to collapse at several places. In January, a car was trapped in a newly-formed sinkhole. It took nearly three months for it to be repaired. The private company responsible for the maintenance of the pipeline has warned that the entire sewer line needs to be replaced to prevent further incidents,” Mishra added
Urban Development principal secretary Amrit Abhijat and secretary Ajay Shukla, accompanied by municipal commissioner Indrajit Singh, recently inspected the area and requested a budget from the government to replace the sewer line. However, Mishra said that the entire project could take at least six more months to complete.
A team comprising officials from Lucknow Municipal Corporation, Jal Nigam, Jal Sansthan, Public Works Department (PWD), and Urban Development Department decided to put in place barricades to stop the movement of heavy traffic on the stretch. However, no timeline has been set so far for the laying of a new pipeline.
Picture of Vikas Nagar Sec 6 barricading where the road was caved in Photo by Deepak Gupta/Hindustan Times. Information boards were installed, and spaces are left for light vehicles to pass through. Heavy vehicles are being stopped from proceeding on the stretch.
Singh has acknowledged the seriousness of the problem. He said that the pipeline belonged to the Jal Nigam, and the road was maintained by the PWD but all agencies are working together to find a solution and that efforts were underway to secure the necessary budget for the project.
