News
Wall builders told not to dig their own graves
The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has called for a halt to construction of retaining walls during this period of heavy downpours, especially if digging is undertaken.
The warning comes following several deaths and injuries reported at construction sites and in places with poorly designed and old retaining walls. The latest deaths were reported in Karapitiya, Galle and at Kadugannawa divisional hospital.
Two workers involved in building a retaining wall of a four-storey construction site in Karapitiya died last week when a large mound of earth bordering it collapsed onto them. One worker, Prasanna, 35, from Imaduwa died on the spot on December 9 while the other, Sarath Kumara, 53, died at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital’s ICU on December 11. Another worker was injured.
“The soil mound was about 18 feet. It suddenly collapsed and buried three workers. I immediately used the JCB backhoe to clear the soil, but it malfunctioned and I used another machine. We found one worker’s hand and dragged him out. Sarath was also found buried deep inside. But after about an hour, Prasanna’s lifeless head came to the excavator’s bucket,” said Tennyson Dharshana, the contractor.
“When I visited the Karapitiya site, it was clear that engineering principles have not been followed. If the excavation is more than 1.5 metres deep, there should be temporary support for the excavation such as timber planks. Also it is not advisable to build a new retaining wall and excavate during rainy weather due to the excess water pressure,” said NBRO’s Director General Dr. Asiri Karunawardena.
Ranjith Abeyratne, 33, was among a team of workers building a wall at the Kadugannawa divisional hospital, when the nearby old retaining wall declared to be dangerous collapsed and buried him. It took rescue workers over an hour to dig out his body. The sudden death of Ranjith, a father of a newborn, left family and friends in grief.
“Continuous heavy rains are triggering landslides in mountainous regions, while wall collapses are becoming frequent in other areas. Cracks, bulging and leaning/tilting are signs of an imminent collapse. It is important to check whether weep holes in retaining walls are blocked,” he said.
Dr. Karunawardena also asked people to avoid being near poorly built, rain-drenched boundary walls and to immediately inform the local government authority, the NBRO and disaster management office if there are dangers.
The site of the tragedy in Karapitiya. Pic by Shirangika Lokukarawita
He said people should complain to law enforcement if owners of private walls fail to take preventive action.
A six-year-old student died and five were injured when a wall in a school in Wellampitiya collapsed last month. Another student from a primary school in Gangodawila escaped with minor injuries after a wall collapsed onto the school toilet.
“Schools have been requested to immediately contact the NBRO if there are risky walls. We will assess and recommend ways to prevent casualties,” the NBRO head said.
(Additional reporting and pix by Sirangika Lokukarawita and Chamil Rupasinghe)
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