Sinkhole Appears on Kaohsiung Road After Heavy Rain; Broken Sewage Pipe Suspected

(CNA reporter Tsai Meng-yu, Kaohsiung, 9th) Affected by a stationary front and southwest airflow, heavy downpours occurred across Kaohsiung City, and today a sinkhole appeared on a road in Fengshan. The Water Resources Bureau stated that a preliminary investigation suggests it was caused by a broken underground sewage pipeline, and emergency grouting work has been initiated for immediate repair.

Kuomintang (KMT) Kaohsiung City Councilor Lee Ya-ching posted today that a sinkhole was found on Fucheng 2nd Street in Fengshan District, affecting road safety, and urged the public to be highly alert when passing through the section.

Lee said that a sewage main blockage had occurred at the same location on the evening of the 6th. The Water Resources Bureau was contacted that day, and workers were dispatched the next day to clear the obstruction. Unexpectedly, near 8 a.m. this morning, a large-scale road collapse occurred at the same spot. She and the neighborhood chief have urgently notified relevant units to handle the situation on-site.

In response, the city's Water Resources Bureau issued a press release explaining that the road subsidence on Fucheng 2nd Street in Fengshan District reached a depth of about 1.4 meters. The city government immediately activated its response mechanism, dispatching personnel to implement traffic control and clarify the cause of the subsidence. It was preliminarily confirmed that there were no injuries or vehicle damage at the scene.

The Water Resources Bureau stated that after receiving the report, they quickly dispatched personnel for an on-site inspection. The preliminary judgment is that a suspected broken underground sewage pipeline caused the loss of the road base, leading to the road subsidence. Traffic maintenance and safety protection measures were completed on the spot, and grouting work has been carried out for emergency repair.

The Water Resources Bureau indicated that it will subsequently conduct a comprehensive inspection of the damaged sewage pipeline and carry out repair work as soon as possible to ensure road safety and the unimpeded passage for road users. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150609