100 workers were mobilized to handle the mud spill incident during the tunnel construction of urban railway line No. 3, Nhon - Hanoi station section.
On the evening of February 20, the Hanoi Urban Railway Management Board (MRB) informed about the phenomenon of mud overflowing onto the surface of lane 7 Giang Van Minh, Kim Ma ward.
The incident was determined to have occurred at 4 p.m. the same day, arising from the tunnel drilling process using a TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) on the underground route of the Hanoi Metro pilot urban railway project, Nhon - Hanoi station section.
After inspection, the investor (MRB), together with the consultant and contractor, determined that the cause could be due to the existence of old wells or sewers underground, creating a path for the tunneling additives to flow to the surface (these old wells and sewers are no longer in use).
Mr. Lee Young Kyeong, Deputy Director of the Hyundai & Ghella Joint Venture Project, affirmed: "The phenomenon of tunneling additives overflowing to the ground surface during the drilling process was an expected technical incident and was immediately controlled. The joint venture is committed to fully complying with technical standards and safety procedures, continuing to closely coordinate with the investor and related units to ensure the construction process is safe and effective."
MRB is working closely with relevant units to accurately assess the cause and deploy technical measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring.
The People's Committee of Ba Dinh District also confirmed the phenomenon of bentonite solution mixture from exploratory boreholes overflowing onto the road surface and drainage ditches in alley 7 Giang Van Minh.
Authorities initially determined the cause was due to pressure when the underground drilling machine from station S9 to station S10 drilled through this area.
A representative of Ba Dinh district said that immediately after discovering the incident, the district assigned relevant units to coordinate with the investor to urgently inspect and fix the problem.
"The investor has mobilized 4 vacuum cleaners and 100 workers to focus on cleaning the environment to ensure environmental hygiene and people's lives," said a representative of the Ba Dinh District People's Committee.
According to this person, from 2024, the district and ward authorities will coordinate with the investor to warn people about possible incidents during the underground drilling process. The authorities will also encourage people to temporarily reside during the construction period to ensure safety.
Urban railway project No. 3, Nhon - Hanoi station section is 12.5 km long, with 8 elevated stations and 4 underground stations. Of which, the elevated section Nhon - Cau Giay is 8.5 km long (in commercial operation), the underground section Cau Giay - Hanoi station is 4 km long.
The project started in 2009 and was scheduled to be completed in 2015, but the schedule was delayed many times and is expected to be completed in 2027.