Underground Utility Drilling Among Factors Being Investigated In Wangsa Maju Sinkhole Incident
KUALA LUMPUR: Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) is investigating whether underground utility works may have contributed to the sinkhole incident at Jalan Wangsa Delima 4 in Wangsa Maju yesterday.
Kuala Lumpur mayor Fadlun Mak Ujud said preliminary inspections indicate that the incident was linked to damage within the main drainage structure rather than natural ground subsidence.
He said the affected area will remain closed for two weeks to allow repair works, technical inspections and safety monitoring to be conducted thoroughly.
According to him, DBKL discovered that a sump wall, or water-retention structure, within the 1.5-metre drainage system is believed to have cracked or collapsed.
However, the exact location of the damaged structure has yet to be fully identified.
Fadlun explained that utility lines are located near the affected area and underground works using horizontal directional drilling (HDD) technology may have accidentally struck the drainage structure without causing visible surface damage.
He said the damage likely allowed drainage water to seep into the soil, gradually eroding the underground area before the sinkhole eventually formed.
He said this during a press conference at DBKL headquarters today.
Also present were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh and Federal Territories Department director-general Muhammad Azmi Mohd Zain.
According to Fadlun, the affected section measures approximately four metres in length, width and depth.
In another development, he said a second smaller sinkhole was detected near a bank along the pedestrian walkway on Jalan Tun Perak.
However, he clarified that the incident only involved a shallow hole about one foot deep and was unrelated to underground utility infrastructure.
Meanwhile, utility mapping works around Jalan Masjid India are now close to completion, with progress reaching about 90 per cent across a 32-kilometre stretch.
DBKL is also expected to begin repairing pedestrian walkways in the area starting this October.
In addition, settlement markers will be installed at selected strategic locations to enable real-time monitoring of ground movement.
Fadlun said the system would help authorities respond immediately should there be any structural ground changes or early signs of new sinkhole formation.
-wilayah.com.my
