A couple on a two-wheeler had a narrow escape when their vehicle fell into a portion of the road that caved in on Saturday.
The road near NTR statue in Safilguda caved in after water leakage from an underground pipe loosened the soil. By 5 a.m., the water board had laid a new pipeline underneath the leaking pipeline, but failed to notice the leakage. The ground was covered up to make way for traffic movement. When the lineman opened the supply valves, water seepage from the broken pipe dampened the soil.
“The leakage was not noticed when the works were carried out. The road caving in could have proved fatal for the couple. They, however, did not suffer any life threatening injuries,” said N. Jagadeeshwar Goud, Malkajigiri Corporator, who rushed to the spot after hearing about the incident.
The Water Board is laying 386 kilometres pipeline in Malkajigiri to provide piped water supply to residents of the area. Around 355 km has already been laid. At the spot where the road caved in, the board had laid a 1,600 mm diameter pipeline at a depth of 2.5 metres, bypassing the existing supply line which had leaked. Works are being carried out since nearly two years now. “We refilled the earth and ensured it was packed by stomping with excavator to ensure that it can take the weight of heavy vehicles, including buses. But, we did not see the leakage when the pipeline was being laid,” admitted a water board official overseeing the project. Saturday’s incident marks the third instance of caving roads in Hyderabad.
