: A common duct for all utilities is the only measure that can prevent frequent cave-ins in the New Delhi area, where pre-Independence era pipelines compete for underground space with new communication cables.
In less than 15 days, two large cave-ins – one on Bhairon Marg on March 20 and another on Kasturba Gandhi Marg on Thursday – have disrupted traffic.
The New Delhi Municipal Council’s area is particularly prone to roads collapsing, even though it has by far the best maintained infrastructure in the city.
The most recent cave-in on Kasturba Gandhi Marg was probably caused by a leaking pipe that went unnoticed till the pressure of the water brought the road down, officials of the NDMC said.
With workers and mechanical excavators busy removing the debris on Friday, NDMC engineers said the repair would take three days.
“The old pipelines are to blame. The situation was exacerbated by trench-less digging for communication cables that has been happening the past few years,” said a senior engineer of the NDMC.
The official added that the intersection of the Kasturba Gandhi Marg was a major hub for services, with pre-1947 water and sewer pipelines and newer cables for communication running underneath. Coupled with the sandy soil in the area, the pressure from the utility cables was bringing down roads.
“The long-term solution we are working on is a common duct for all utilities, like we have in Connaught Place,” said the NDMC official.
When Connaught Place was revamped a few years ago, the NDMC constructed a 1.20-km-long utility tunnel under the middle circle.
The tunnel, which has been in use since 2013, houses lines for electricity, communication, water supply, fire-fighting services and electric sub-stations.
The duct made maintenance easier, and ruled out any disruption in services caused by frequent digging for new utilities.
