In yet another reminder of the threat posed by old underground utilities, a huge cavity developed on a portion of Jakaria Bunder Road near the Sewri railway station on Tuesday.
Officials pressed for the damage control exercise said the cavity was 8-foot deep, 4-foot long and 1-foot wide. While no casualties were reported in the incident, traffic movement along the arterial stretch was affected.
Local assistant commissioner Harshad Kale said cracks were first noticed between two adjoining concrete slabs. Investigations revealed that the cracks were because of the cavity which had formed beneath the road surface.
To ascertain the cause behind the cavity, senior engineers from the water and storm water drainage department were summoned to the site. Tests conducted by them revealed that it was due to leakage of water from a 48-inch water pipeline, an inlet main which carries water to the Bhandarwada Hill service reservoir.
Kale claimed the cavity could have been formed over a long period of time. “The subsurface portion of the road got washed away when it came in contact with leaking water,” he said.
On Tuesday, excavation work was undertaken to access the damaged portion of the pipeline which is 6ft below the ground. “The extent of the damage to the pipeline can only be ascertained thereafter,” a senior water department engineer said.
The restoration work of the damaged portion will be undertaken after the leakage from the pipeline is arrested and the cavity filled up.
There have been three other cave-ins so far this year and at least 10 in the past two years. The Sewree incident came a day after an expert team submitted a report recommending measures to stop cave-ins.
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