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Authorities attributed the incident to drilling work for the city’s ongoing Nhon–Hanoi Station metro line project.
At 3 p.m., mud began seeping through cracks at an alley of Giang Van Minh Street in Ba Dinh District. Within 15 minutes, the sludge had piled up to around 30 cm in some areas, forcing its way into residential properties. Local officials dispatched pumps and 100 workers to remove the mud.
Sludge seeps onto the ground in Hanoi, Feb. 20, 2025. Video by VnExpress/Gia Chinh
The Ba Dinh District People’s Committee said the episode was a known potential consequence of the metro’s tunneling work.
According to the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB), old wells and sewers under the street might have allowed drilling materials, which are injected to stabilize the soil, to seep aboveground.
Before drilling began, contractors inspected wells and sewers at the site. However, the MRB noted that data could have been outdated due to changes made by different property owners over time.
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Workers remove sludge from an alley in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Chieu |
"The sludge stopped flowing once the drilling machines finished operating and the external tunnel casings were in place," the MRB stated, adding that the phenomenon does not pose a structural threat to the surrounding area.
The Nhon–Hanoi Station metro line spans 12.5 km, comprising eight elevated stations and four underground stations.
Its 8.5 km elevated stretch from Nhon to Cau Giay is already operational, while the remaining 4 km underground section from Cau Giay to Hanoi Station is still under construction.
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Sludge covers an alley on Giang Van Minh Street in Hanoi. Feb. 20, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Chinh |
