In its notices to contractors, PWD says fix roads speedily

Panaji: With potholed roads making for a rough ride following an unusually wet July and Aug, executive engineers of the public works department (PWD) have issued notices to contractors to carry out the road repairs at the earliest, wherever the works are still covered under the defect liability period (DLP).

Sources said that as per the preliminary investigations, the potholes are caused by contractors not following basic principles of road engineering, in an attempt to complete the works in haste.

“As per standard engineering practices, the road should have a camber slope, which means there is a slight upward curve in the centre of the road. This allows the water to slip down from the road to its shoulders. Similarly, the road shoulders should also be constructed in a manner that directs the water towards the drainage on the sides. Camber slopes ensure the water does not pool on the road, which causes potholes,” said the source.

The contractors, in many cases, have been found not providing this camber slope, also known as cross slope or cross fall.

“It has also been seen that more concrete is being used at the centre of the road now by the contractors, which speeds up the work for them,” the source said.

In the past, PWD chief engineers have maintained in public that more potholes are seen occurring in Goa due to the sheer quantum of the rainfall the state receives.

Similarly, this monsoon, landslides were seen at many locations where new roads were constructed, like Keri-Chorla, Malpe-Pernem, and Bicholim bypass.

Sources said that in such cases too, the contractors were seen not providing proper drainage for the water coming down the cut hillslope. As a result, the water goes into the landmass, causing landslides or mud-slips onto the road.

“Usually, hillslopes do not easily destabilise unless you disturb them with unscientific cutting. No benching of the hill is done, and drainage for the rainwater is not provided, which can destabilise laterite soil. Similarly, in the case of retaining walls for the cut slopes, it is seen that the base is not wide enough. The width of the retaining wall base determines the strength of the wall,” said the source.