DJB wants space marked for water, sewer lines

New Delhi: Bhairon Marg, part of which is currently blocked to traffic because of a massive road cave-in, is not new to such disturbances.
Till some years back, the road used to cave in once every few months, a result of extremely old pipelines that were leaking. Finally, in 2002 the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) fixed the problem. However, it did not touch the foundation on which the pipe was laid.Now, the CC cement foundation, which was laid in the 1950s, probably gave way, resulting in a gaping hole in the road.
DJB officials said that even two days after the incident, they have not been able to dig down to the foundation as the earth keeps caving in and hence they are not sure if there is some other reason for the line to have sunk in.
The sewer was placed at least 25 feet deep, a major reason why, the water utility said it cannot check on the status of several other similar pipelines that have been laid deep. Delhi has a network of 14,000 km of water lines and 7,700 km of sewers, some part of which always requires maintenance work.
“We undertook a massive drive to replace our trunk sewers and had completed a large portion of the work by 2012. But yes, there is a problem of leaking pipes, which has to do with us not getting clear space to lay them. For years we have been asking the agencies to mark space for water and sewer lines but that never happens. Roads get expanded and pipes end up in the middle, where traffic volume is higher. This puts tremendous pressure on these pipes. Constant laying of roads, which increases their thickness, adds additional pressure on the pipes,” said an official.
The Public Works Department (PWD), the road owning agency, had put up a sign at the intersection of BRT and Press Enclave Road last year, warning road users that the stretch was unsafe due to the water and sewer lines running beneath it.
While there was no immediate danger, officials said that the DJB was tardy in repairing leaks and they had put up the board to shame the agency.
In the middle of such departmental politics, it is true that leaking pipes and a poor drainage system have often caused roads to cave-in. The department has a list of 40-50 such spots where the road is always in a mess due to leaking pipes. “There is one spot near the Moti Bagh Gurudwara on the Ring Road where leaking pipes have messed up the road. Another spot is near PSK Mall on Vikas Marg. Yet another prominent area is close to the Adchini crossing. We are never able to repair these roads since the pipes below are constantly leaking,” said a PWD official.