Namma Metro drilling work crushes pipelines

Namma Metro drilling work crushes pipelines

Namma Metro drilling work crushes pipelines
S Lalitha, jan 11, Bangalore:

In a first such instance encountered by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), sanitary pipelines located in the vicinity of Metro Rail construction works on M G Road have got crushed.


The damage is not due to the direct impact of the construction work as has been the case in countless instances, but due to the pressure caused by digging and drilling work undertaken nearby.


Sewage overflowing onto M G Road from manholes at two different locations, one near Trinity Circle and one in front of the Mittal Towers at the beginning of the weekend helped the water supply board findout the source of the problem. While providing a permanent solution to leakage at the Trinity Junction is expected to take months, the problem at the other location has been set right, said a top BWSSB official.

“Employees had to work non-stop during the weekend to remove the crushed pipeline running to a depth of ten feet in front of Mittal Towers. The pipeline of six inches diameter has now been replaced with that measuring nine inches,” he informed. Sewage from KEB power station and surrounding areas and big hotels passed through this pipeline.
The other pipeline at Trinity Circle, which runs 20-feet deep would take more than two months to be replaced with a bigger pipeline.

Suction pipes used
“It will also cost us Rs 21 lakh,” the official added. This line takes care of Defence area, 515 workshop and parts of Ulsoor. A temporary arrangement is being done here with BWSSB lorries making visits to the spot and using suction pipes to remove the blocked sewage.

“We have heard cases of pipelines bursting or cracking due to the strain of work carried out in the soil above them. But in these two cases, the piers were being constructed for Metro Rail in the centre of the road but the damage has taken place at pipes located at the end of the road,” the official said. The pressure caused due to the construction was the only plausible reason for the damage of pipelines, he felt.

Meanwhile, a Metro Rail engineer at the spot of construction, showed the spots where BWSSB was forced to lay a new sanitary pipeline. “Metro Rail has nothing to do with the issue,” he claimed.
DH News Service