How Unplanned HDD Reducing Future Facilities?

Unplanned HDD Reducing Future Facilities

Unplanned Horizontal Directional Drilling Works are Reducing Future Facilities for the Utilities Authorities in Dhaka City

Unplanned Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) in Dhaka reduces future utility capacity by causing chaotic, unmapped congestion in the underground space. Lack of coordination leads to high-risk installations that damage existing infrastructure, increase service installation costs, and restrict space for future development. 

• Congested Subsurface: Uncontrolled HDD, meant for minimal surface disruption, often leads to a chaotic, unmapped, and unmanaged network of underground pipelines, causing severe operational, maintenance, and future expansion issues.
• Reduced Future Utility Space: Indiscriminate drilling uses up available space, creating a "first-come, first-served" scenario that prevents future, better-planned infrastructure projects from accessing the same underground corridors.
• Infrastructure Damage & Costs: Lack of adequate planning and mapping, coupled with poor soil understanding, results in accidental damage to existing gas, water, or electric lines, leading to significant project time and cost overruns, with some projects facing up to 44% higher costs.
• Inefficient Urban Management: The haphazard nature of HDD, often occurring without coordination among various utility providers, contributes to the overall inefficiencies in Dhaka's infrastructure development and maintenance.
• Remedial Challenges: While HDD is intended to minimize surface disruption, the lack of proper documentation and planning makes it difficult for authorities to manage underground, resulting in increased risks. 

How can we think the HDD works in a Plan?

We can summarize the core harms, show a concise comparison of outcomes, and give a prioritized, actionable plan (short, medium, long term) that Dhaka’s utilities and city authorities can adopt to stop further loss of subterranean capacity and reduce risk.

Key problem summary regarding HDD works

Unplanned Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) in Dhaka is creating chaotic, unmapped underground congestion, increasing accidental damage, raising installation costs, and permanently reducing space for future utilities. HDD’s trenchless advantage is lost when works proceed without coordinated planning, mapping, and permitting.

Quick comparison of outcomes (Unplanned HDD vs Coordinated HDD)

Attribute	Unplanned HDD	Coordinated HDD	Effect on future capacity
Subsurface order	Chaotic, unmapped	Mapped, corridor-based	Unplanned reduces usable space
Risk of damage	High; frequent strikes	Low; pre-survey and SUE	Unplanned increases repair needs
Cost outcomes	Higher due to rework and delays	Lower lifecycle costs	Unplanned raises project costs
Maintenance complexity	Difficult, unsafe locating	Predictable, documented	Unplanned restricts expansion
Regulatory control	Weak or absent	Permit + standards enforced	Unplanned undermines planning

Evidence and technical context

• HDD is widely used to minimize surface disruption, but its success depends on site survey, design, and documentation; without these, HDD produces unmanaged underground networks.
• Best practice HDD design requires feasibility studies, soil understanding, and alignment control to avoid conflicts with existing utilities.

Prioritized action plan for Dhaka (what to do, who should act, and why)

Short term (0–6 months) — stopgap and control

• Immediate moratorium on new HDD permits in high-density corridors until mapping and permit rules are in place. Lead: City authority/utility regulator.
• Rapid audit of recent HDD works: collect as-built records, GPS stakes, and contractor logs to create an emergency registry. Lead: Utilities consortium with municipal support.
• Mandatory “locate-before-drill”: require contractors to obtain up-to-date utility locates and a minimum level of Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) before HDD starts. Lead: Regulator; Enforcement: fines/stop-work orders.
• Public register: publish a temporary online map of confirmed utility locations to reduce accidental strikes. Lead: City IT + utilities.

Medium term (6–24 months) — build capability and standards

• Citywide subsurface utility mapping program using GIS and SUE levels (A–D) to progressively improve accuracy. Lead: Municipal infrastructure agency; Funding: blended public–private.
• Corridor planning and reserved utility ducts: designate primary corridors and reserve depth bands for different utility types (gas, water, power, telecom). Lead: Urban planning + utilities.
• Permit and licensing reform: require HDD contractors to be licensed, submit HDD alignment plans, and provide as-built digital records (GIS shapefiles) as permit conditions. Lead: Regulator.
• Training and accreditation: certify local contractors and utility locators in HDD best practices and SUE methods. Lead: Industry associations + technical institutes.

Long term (24+ months) — institutionalize and future-proof

• National/subnational subsurface utility database (single source of truth) with mandatory updates and API access for permit systems. Lead: National infrastructure authority.
• Integrated planning: requires new urban development approvals to include subsurface utility impact assessments and reserved corridors.
• Incentives for trenchless coordination: reduced permit fees or fast-track approvals for projects that use shared corridors and submit full SUE documentation.
• Periodic audits and lifecycle budgeting: include subsurface capacity as an asset class in city infrastructure plans and budget for remediation where congestion threatens critical services.

Technical measures and tools to adopt

• Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) levels A–D for progressive accuracy; require Level B or better for HDD in congested zones.
• GIS-based as-built submission: requires vector GIS files (coordinate system specified) and attribute data (depth, material, owner, installation date).
• Non-destructive investigation: ground-penetrating radar (GPR), electromagnetic locators, and vacuum excavation for verification before HDD.
• Corridor design standards: depth separation, minimum clearances, and conflict-resolution rules.
• Digital permitting workflow: integrate permit issuance with the subsurface database so new HDD alignments are checked automatically for conflicts.

Risks, trade-offs, and enforcement considerations

• Risk of noncompliance: contractors may resist added cost/time; mitigate with phased enforcement and incentives.
• Data quality: Poor initial mapping can create false confidence; use SUE Level A verification for critical corridors.
• Funding: mapping and database creation require upfront investment; demonstrate ROI via avoided strike costs and reduced future relocation expenses.

Recommended first three steps for immediate implementation

1. Issue a temporary HDD permit freeze in the most congested districts and require emergency as-built submissions for recent HDD works.
2. Stand up a joint utilities task force (city + gas + water + power + telecom) to define corridor priorities and a minimum SUE requirement.
3. Launch a pilot corridor mapping project (one high-priority arterial) to demonstrate the process, costs, and benefits within 6 months.

Closing recommendation regarding HDD works

Make mapping, permitting, and corridor planning the non-negotiable foundation for any HDD work in Dhaka. Treat the subsurface as a shared, finite asset: enforce locate-before-drill, require digital as-built records, and institutionalize a single subsurface registry. These steps will stop further irreversible loss of underground capacity, reduce accidental damage, and lower long‑term costs.

Improved coordination and mapping of all underground utilities are essential to prevent further irreversible damage to the subterranean infrastructure in Dhaka.