A TRAGEDY was averted when municipal staff detected a depression on the road near the Pizza By The Bay junction on Marine Drive on Monday afternoon. After a test pit was dug, officers found a cavity, almost 20 feet X 7 feet, that could have caused the road to cave in.
“The depression was noticed over a couple of days. After a test pit was dug, a cavity that is 7 feet deep and 20 feet long was found. It is a cement concrete road that was immediately barricaded to be dug up and repaired to avoid a cave-in,” said Kiran Dighavkar, the assistant municipal commissioner of A Ward.
Dighavkar added that an arch drain exists below the road. But the sea’s tidal effects may have led to soil erosion and the consequent formation of the cavity. “We will now build a retaining wall to stop sea water from gushing in and leading to soil erosion at the spot,” he said. Officials said until old drains are repaired or replaced, the island city will continue to be vulnerable to cave-ins, owing to seepage and rupture in the drains or sewers, and erosion on account of sea water. Most British-era drains are in decrepit condition, requiring urgent repairs or replacement. These drains, made of brick, are now dilapidated due to wear and tear over the years.
The major areas of concern for the civic body are two kinds of drains, the arch/box drains and the closed pipe or dhapa drains.
A cave-in was reported in June last year following heavy rain on the road that cuts through Marine Lines station and Gol Masjid towards Metro Cinema. The cave-in was caused due to leakage in the pipeline running below the road.
