Now Reading: Gurgaon sinkhole swallows service road on Delhi-Jaipur highway
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Gurgaon sinkhole swallows service road on Delhi-Jaipur highway
A 10-foot-wide, 15-foot-deep sinkhole opened up on the service road of the Delhi-Jaipur highway near IFFCO Chowk in Gurgaon on Tuesday afternoon, forcing authorities to close the stretch. The Gurugram Metropolitan Development…
A 10-foot-wide, 15-foot-deep sinkhole opened up on the service road of the Delhi-Jaipur highway near IFFCO Chowk in Gurgaon on Tuesday afternoon, forcing authorities to close the stretch. The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority said a damaged sewer line beneath the road caused the cave-in, which occurred around 3pm. The affected area has been barricaded and repairs are scheduled to begin on Wednesday after rain delayed the start of work on Tuesday evening.
The closure is expected to inconvenience buses heading towards Rewari and Rajasthan, which use the service road to pick up passengers. Commuters can use an alternate two-lane service road to access the highway, officials said. Vehicles heading to Sector 29 and South City-1 will need to take the exit near the foot overbridge. The incident is the latest in a series of road and drain collapses in Gurgaon during heavy rain, including a major cave-in on NH-48 in July that caused traffic jams stretching 8-10 km.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Gurgaon's repeated sinkholes during monsoon point to a systemic failure in maintaining underground infrastructure built decades ago. The Leg-1 master stormwater drain, constructed with brick masonry over 30 years ago, has been weakened by continuous sewage flow and corrosive gases, according to GMDA. With rapid urbanisation placing additional strain on drainage and sewer lines, the city faces a cycle where utility excavation destabilises roads, and heavy rain triggers collapse. The National Highways Authority of India and GMDA now share responsibility for repairs, but without a coordinated audit of aging underground assets, similar cave-ins are likely to recur with each heavy downpour. The next test will come with the next spell of rain, when these same stretches are put under pressure again.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
