At the beginning of February there was such an unusual event in Japan that it was news worldwide. In the north of Tokyo it had appeared a giant hole that “swallowed” a truck and its driver. Worse: every day that passed it became bigger. The story in Asia is not over yet, but in Europe the scene has just been repeated. On Monday, the United Kingdom dawned with a mysterious and giant hole in a street. And then there were two.
An unexpected collapse. The story began last Monday night. A huge crater appeared on a very busy street in the town of Godstonein Surrey County, England, growing rapidly until reaching 20 meters long, six meters wide and five meters deep. Shortly after, a second hole of five by five meters and the same depth arose on the other side of the street.
Although both have stopped expanding at this time, the magnitude of the sinking has forced to evacuate around 30 homes and has generated serious concerns about the structural safety of the area. The solution goes for long.
What the hell is happening. The big question. Although the exact cause is still unconfirmed, Geologists suggest several hypotheses. The region is settled on weakly cemented sandstones dating from the lower Cretaceous period, more than 100 million years ago, an area that It can easily erode with the action of water. In this regard, Pete Burgess, expert from the Wealden Cave and Mines Society, explained that The nineteenth -century maps show an area marked as a “sand quarry”. This quarry would have been exploited for decades to extract sand used in construction and gardening, leaving unstable land. Plus: factors such as heavy rainsexacerbated by climate change, could be further weakening underground structures, causing collapse or collapse.
In addition, and as it happened in the case of Tokyoit is possible that a broken pipe has eroded the rocky substrate, or even that the roof of one of those old sand mines has collapsed, triggering the sinking and in turn, damaging a water pipe. That said, what is most repeated among experts is that The growing urbanization in the United Kingdom has increased pressure on infrastructure of sanitation already aged.
Impact on the community. Although they have not reported injured, the life of residents if it has been seriously affected. Cases such as Noosh Miri, one of the evacuated people, who declared that His house is no longer safe and does not know when he can return. Traffic, of course, has diverted, and the country’s media speak of a car that was dangerously close to the edge of the second hole, without its owner being able to withdraw it. In addition, some residents have had to Spend the first nights in their vehicles due to uncertainty about the stability of their homes.
For all this, Tandridge District Council has enabled an information center to attend those affectedwhile Bletchingley Parish Council has offered its sports hall as Temporary refuge for those who do not have housing insurance. Councilor Linda Baharier stood out The difficulty facing tenants who do not have insurance coverage and must find a long -term housing alternative. A call to the community has even been released so that who have available rooms can host.
Economic impact: closure of shops. The economic repercussions of the disaster are also significant. I told the BBC Shane Fryowner of the mechanical workshop DD Services, of his concern about the closure of the road and the restricted access to his business, which has drastically reduced its clientele. “We have lost an important part of our income because people cannot get here or simply choose not to come,” he lamented. With four employees in charge and families that depend on the workshop, Fry anticipates difficult months.
Other businesses in the area face the same uncertainty. Graham Bristow, owner of Blossoms Café, told the British chain that his daughter, who manages the business with him, is trying to stay optimistic, but fears that the next months will be devastating. “If we suffer losses, will there be any kind of help, such as tax reductions? We don’t know it,” he said.
Measures to repair a giant hole. Local authorities have cataloged the incident as A “major emergency case”. Currently, they are being carried out Structural studies to evaluate security of the area and determine how to fill the craters definitively.
The bad news? Than repairs They could take at least months. Meanwhile, some residents have been able to return to their homes to collect essential belongings, although there is still no clear date for their final return. Let’s think that repairs not only involve filling the holes, but completely rebuild the road from the baserelocating and reconnecting all public service pipes and networks before being able to repair.
Are these undercuts common? The truth is that sinkings in the United Kingdom They are usually smaller and occur in rural areasalthough occasionally they emerge in urban areas. In December 2023, a sinking in Wales affected the house of a reality winner Love Island. That said, the collapse in Surrey has been particularly striking, and geologists repeat that although Most housing are not built on land of old registered minesin some cases the houses have been built on those undicted medieval mines, which It generates unforeseen risks.
In short and As in Tokyothe two undercuts in the United Kingdom have evidenced the vulnerability of certain urban areas to geological and climatic factors. While experts work in solutions and in determining the exact cause of collapse, residents face the uncertainty of an uncertain return to their homes, possibly months.
If you want also, the incident stands out The need to review and reinforce infrastructure in areas with sinking potentialespecially in a context of growing urbanization and climatic changes that could aggravate this type of phenomena in the future.
Image | Peter McDermott
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