THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A road leading to PRS Lakeville apartment in Akkulam collapsed during the heavy rains in the early hours of Tuesday. The road, which is the boundary line of the apartment, is next to a site where the construction of a new school building is going on.
“Since the road collapsed around 1am, there were no construction workers or residents, avoiding a major accident,” said a staff member at PRS LakeVille, adding that around 100m of the road was damaged in the rain.
Following the incident, the engineers and PWD officials visited the location.
“We have decided to construct a sheet piling as a temporary solution for the issue. The support technique will help form a continuous barrier to retain soil and prevent soil movement. We will discuss and decide on the permanent solution for the soil erosion,” said Saneesh, a supervising official at the site.
According to Saneesh, the high moisture of the soil caused the damage. “Compared to other areas, the soil here has high moisture content, and the incident occurred when there was heavy rain. In other parts of the road, the soil is stiff and steady,” he added.
However, residents and staff members have alleged the area has witnessed several incidents before too. “It’s been more than 14 or 15 years since the road and the apartment were built. Earlier too, the bottom end of the road collapsed in a similar way and was reconstructed. Since the school building is being built with a depth of 20 to 25ft, constructions need to be more careful in the area,” added the staff member.
Saneesh, however, added that documents of the construction work, both the school and the apartment complex were submitted and cleared.