Bengaluru metro project’s TBM encounters pile of garbage 33 ft below earth: Report

A few weeks ago, Namma Metro project’s tunnel boring machine (TBM) encountered an unusual hurdle. The machine, which was tunneling the way from Dairy Circle towards Lakkasandra, was reportedly stuck after encountering a pile of garbage buried way 33-feet below the earth’s surface.

The obstacle, first thought to be a huge rock, was later revealed to be a garbage pile after the staff analysed the situation, according to a report published in The Hindu. It was not clear when the incident exactly took place.

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The TBM was installed to tunnel through the 14 km network that falls under the phase II of the metro project.

"In Bengaluru, tunnel works have faced various challenges because of geographical challenges but facing garbage as a hurdle is unheard of,” Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) MD, Anjum Parwez, said.

Officials looked into the matter and found that quarrying was permitted in the area decades ago and that private owners started quarrying illegally. According to Parwez, the land was later converted to a dumping site. The officials told the publication that there was about 35 meters of garbage in the machine’s way.

BMRCL Executive Director, Hegga Reddy, said that an assortment of garbage including plastic buckets, tyres, bags and bones were found among the garbage pile. He also added that the machine moved forward for a short distance but couldn’t move any further as it got stuck.

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BMRCL officials also told the publication that the presence of quarry land was not detected while they tested the soil.

The garbage will be excavated and replaced with concrete mixtures and the machine will have to cut through the concrete block, which may take up to three months, according to the report.