Current Affairs

Issue

The number of road cave-ins has increased drastically in Delhi even as the city experienced unprecedented rainfall this season.

 

Background

Recently small road cave-ins have been seen in different parts of the city. Earlier, larger cave-ins have been witnessed.

 

Details

• Incessant rains are the reason for cavities or cave-ins which looks like hole in the ground. This takes place when drains overflow.

• As the rains increase and underground drains go beyond their capacity, these pipes can start leaking. The water erodes soil around the areas causing roads to cave in.

• The time for occurrence of this phenomenon is dependent on the intensity of the leak and also the force of the water to erode soil.

 

Fixing cave-ins

• First step is to identify the pipeline below the surface and find the leak. Once the leak is identified, the water flow is stopped and leak fixed.

• After fixing pipe, the hole or the cavity has to be completely shut. This is done by filling construction materials.

• In smaller holes, gravel and small stones are filled. In larger holes, sand is used to fill the gap before making a base for re-laying the road.

 

Avoiding cave-ins

• The most appropriate way of preventing a cave-in would be to prevent water leak in the first place. This can be done through proper planning.

• The first step would be to conduct regular cleaning and fixing of pipes before the monsoon seasons.

• Secondly, a pipe system has to be installed that can check flow at entry and exit points. This will ensure that authorities know that there is a leak by measuring inflow and outflow.

• If the pipelines are fixed early, the leakage of water does not take place and cave-ins can be avoided easily.