Bengaluru sees another sinkhole, 3rd in a week

Yet another sinkhole appeared in the city, this time on Ittamadu Main Road on Friday, in the third such incident in over a week.

The three-foot-deep sinkhole occurred due to the leakage of a water pipeline beneath, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials said.

“The road caved in owing to a cavity that was formed beneath. We observed that the soil had loosened owing to water seepage,” a BBMP official said.

Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) officials who inspected the spot on Friday evening said the pipeline has been replaced. “A pipeline connecting one of the houses was leaking and we replaced it,” a BWSSB engineer present at the site said.

According to officials, the area was barricaded soon after the sinkhole appeared. They said they could not take up restoration work on the same day as it was late.

“We barricaded the spot and replaced the pipelines on Saturday morning. Road restoration work is in progress. We are filling the sinkhole with wet mix and the area will be strengthened,” the official added.

Asked about the reason for such incidents, BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath said it is difficult to identify water pipeline leakages underneath.

“Sinkholes appear owing to subsurface movement. Across the city, there are a number of pipeline-laying and tunnelling works in progress. Owing to such activities, the surface might get disturbed, resulting in sinkholes,” he said.

Over the last one week, sinkholes were reported from Brigade Road and Mahalakshmi Layout. However, BBMP officials said several smaller ones had surfaced since the onset of monsoon.