A portion of the busy Kundalahalli Road in East Bengaluru caved in on Sunday resulting in a sinkhole a few feet wide, causing traffic to pile up, until it was closed by the civic agencies later in the day.
Officials from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) said that the road caved in after a water pipe leakage which led to the seepage. “There were no other issues. We have immediately filled the hole so that there will be no traffic snarls on the stretch,” officials said, adding that no untoward incidents were reported owing to the sinkhole.
BBMP officials said that sinkholes usually appear after rain or leakage in water or sewage below the road. Water leakage from a BWSSB pipeline that had loosened the soil, caused the sinkhole on Sunday, officials said.
A senior BWSSB officials said that a 450 mm Cauvery Water Main Pipeline had burst early in the morning on Sunday at Kundalahalli Gate Junction. “We have installed a new pipe since the old pipe had to be removed owing to the damage,” the official said.
Bengaluru Traffic Police officials said that the incident happened just before the Kundalahalli underpass and nothing has been damaged on the underpass. An official from HAL Traffic Police Station said, “Our officer in-charge in that sector and our staff along with civic agencies fixed the problem with help of Hitachi and now vehicle movement is normal.”
In June this year, after missing several deadlines, the underpass at Kundalahalli Junction was opened to traffic. The grade separator is part of the signal-free corridor project proposed on the Old Airport Road.
Residents appreciated the coordination and finishing of the restoration work within 24 hours by civic agencies. Venkatesh K., a resident of Kundalahalli said, “The BBMP and BWSSB, along with the traffic police, finished the restoration work within a day. This is much needed coordination between various civic agencies. Kundalahalli Junction is known for its traffic snarls. The traffic had been hit during the work however since it was Sunday, there were not much issues faced by us.”
Meanwhile, Cauvery water supply was impacted by the restoration work in Munekolala, Thubrahalli, AECS Layout, BEML Layout, Kundalahalli and Kundalahalli Colony, according to BWSSB.
Last month, the road near Sankey Tank caved in resulting in a sinkhole a few feet wide due to heavy rain. The hole was closed by BBMP the next day.
