Madrid has woken up chaotic this Thursday, with a part of the city completely flooded by the rupture of a large 500-millimeter-diameter pipe. The accesses to the Glorieta Marqués de Vadillo and the access to the M-30 have been cut off since 2.29:XNUMX am this morning due to the intervention of the emergency teams due to a breakdown, which has denied the area of water.
However, despite the fact that numerous roads had been closed, the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, has detailed that the bypass of the M-30 in the direction of A-3 and Antonio López street have been reopened to traffic before 14:XNUMX p.m.
Specifically, according to Twitter, the area located approximately under the late Vicente Calderón was opened minutes after 12.30:14.00 p.m. For its part, Antonio López street has also been reopened minutes before XNUMX:XNUMX p.m., once the water leak in that area has been stopped.
That yes, still permanently cut the access to the M-30 from Marqués de Vadillo and the area of the change of direction between this square and the Pirámides square.
Likewise, as reported by Servimedia, the Madrid City Council Fire Department has predicted that, if the water pumping works continue at the current rate, the M-30 could be opened in its entirety in the early afternoon.
Reopened the Bypass of the M-30 in the direction of A-3 (located approximately under the extinct Calderón).
The video shows the first vehicles that have accessed this section at 12:34 p.m.
We have also just opened the way to traffic on Antonio López Street. pic.twitter.com/kzqpIKeecv
– José Luis Martínez-Almeida (@AlmeidaPP_) September 15, 2022
The delegate for the Environment and Mobility of the City Council, Borja Carabante, explained that the fault has occurred in a "large capacity" Canal de Isabel II pipe, spilling 6 million liters, causing the cut of the branch of the M-30 . That yes, he has indicated that they have already been able to reduce around 2 million and that the water is already mess after two hours doing it after the break.
"The Canal is working to minimize this type of risk, the specific circumstance is that a flood occurs because Calle 30 is the lowest point in the city of Madrid, in other points that circumstance does not occur, and it is a large-capacity pipe, therefore the two hours that the water has been coming out has accumulated a lot. The Channel is working to find out the reasons for this breakdown”, Carabante specified on Telemadrid.
Likewise, Carabante has reported that the Marqués de Vadillo incident has caused traffic on bus lines 23, 34, 35, 116, 118 and 119 of the Municipal Transport Company (EMT), which has displaced a staff of the company to some stops to inform users.
Recommended to prevent shingles
“Antonio López Street has been flooded in its first section and several branches of the M-30 tunnel because the entrance is immediately there and favors the entry of water into the tunnel. We have also cut Antonio Leiva street in the affected area, Antonio López street and traffic cuts have been made inside the tunnel to be able to work”, explained Antonio Marchesi, supervisor of the Madrid Fire Brigade. .
“These are works that take time because they are a significant volume of water but we are working on it. The raft is currently approximately one meter high and the raft on the branch is much higher, we are talking about two meters high”, Marchesi announced.
According to Canal de Isabel II, the repair work could last for a week. For her part, the deputy mayor of the capital, Begoña Villacís, has recommended avoiding the area as much as possible. "The incident is going to last throughout the day, the priority is to solve it and establish normality as soon as possible," added Villacís on Telemadrid.
In addition, the deputy mayor has detailed that "it is chlorinated water, that the irrigation has already been cut off", so it is not possible to "throw it into the river". It has also sent a message of calm to the neighbors by assuming that it will be the insurance companies that will take charge of alleviating this situation.
Cuts in the accesses to the M-30 The rupture of a pipe has caused flooding in the tunnels of the M-30 and surrounding areas, such as the accesses to the ring road, as well as storage rooms and garages of local buildings. EFE
Specifically, according to sources from Emergencias Madrid, the central lane of the M-30, XC, where the water has reached a height of one meter, and the 15RR branch, with 2,5 meters of accumulated water, have been cut. The Baipás tunnel in the A-3 direction has also been affected and traffic has been seen through the Nudo Sur, the Center dependent on the Madrid City Council has detailed.
Likewise, ground floors, basements, premises and garages of buildings near the Marqués de Vadillo roundabout have been flooded. The most affected is a park located on Antonio Leyva street, where the water in plant -4 has reached a height of 1,5 meters.
Street closed due to the failure of a JN pipe
In the place they have worked, in a coordinated way with technicians from Calle M-30, up to 14 crews from the Fire Department of the Community of Madrid, who have collaborated to drain the accumulated water. “Right now we are draining water collaborating with the technical means of the M-30. We have reviewed all the buildings near the break to confirm that at the moment there are no structural problems due to possible land washing. When the water subsides in the breakage area, we will be able to assess the size of the sinkhole and the washing, but it does not seem that it will affect any home”, explained the Firefighters supervisor.
The Canal offers a supply alternative
The brigades displaced to the place of the failure have worked to cut off the water that came out of the pipe and to carry out different maneuvers to provide an alternative supply to the neighbors. Despite the complexity of the incident, the supply service has been restored immediately and there are no problems with the water supply in homes in the area, explained the water management agency.
Canal de Isabel II has lamented the inconvenience and damage caused to citizens by this incident and has recalled that it has planned four actions to renew 6 kilometers of the distribution network in the area that will begin before the end of the year within the framework of the Red Plan for the substitution of 1.300 kilometers of tubes.
