Under-construction sumpwell caves in after rain in Palam Vihar, raises safety concerns

Gurgaon: An under-construction sumpwell in Palam Vihar caved in after heavy rain on Sunday, triggering concerns over the structural safety of the project and prompting an inspection by MCG and the police. The collapse created a large crater around the construction site in Block E, with muddy water filling the pit and parts of the concrete structure caving in.The cavity was filled with soil on Sunday night to prevent further erosion and reduce immediate risk to houses around it. The incident has raised questions over the execution of such infrastructure projects during the monsoon and whether adequate precautions were taken to secure the excavation before heavy rainfall. “The incident occurred due to a lack of supervision. MCG shouldn’t have started this right before the monsoon.

The site poses a threat to residents living in the vicinity. Since the entire site had loose soil, proper measures should have been taken to prevent erosion,” said Rakesh Dubey, a resident of E Block.An engineer and former president of Palam Vihar, Sunil Yadav, said, “This incident is only one of many examples of the city’s crumbling infrastructure. The need of the hour is to include residents with technical expertise in ward committees so they can supervise and monitor civic projects and help prevent such mishaps.”

While MCG officials maintained that no injuries or damage to nearby buildings were reported, residents expressed concern over the proximity of the excavation to residential houses and the potential consequences had the collapse been more severe.The sumpwell is part of the city’s stormwater drainage infrastructure intended to collect and pump out rainwater from low-lying areas to reduce flooding during the monsoon.

Its construction has now been put on hold until the end of the rainy season.“The sumpwell was under construction and the shuttering had not yet been removed. Rainwater weakened the site, leading to the collapse. The affected pocket has been filled with soil as a precaution, and construction of the sumpwell will resume after the monsoon,” MCG chief engineer Vijay Dhaka said.