The repeated digging-up of roads in order to bury pipelines has become a major hazard affecting the smooth flow of traffic in Beijing and other cities. In the capital, the ludicrous phenomenon of a road being dug up shortly after it has been tarmacked is not rare.

A decision by the authorities in Beijing may change this situation in the near future. Released over the weekend, it says that newly built roads should not be dug up for projects involving underground pipelines for at least five years.

To stop such an absurd but quite prevalent phenomenon, it is quite important to first determine where the root cause lies.

Road construction firms do not bother about the pipelines under the road, as these belong to other departments. They are doing their own jobs and never experience any co-ordination.

It should not be difficult to co-ordinate the work of these different departments. But why has there been such a situation for so many years? There must be some other reasons behind it.

It is a waste of money and manpower to repeatedly dig up a road, to say nothing of the resulting inconvenience and air pollution. But the repetition of the same project must be supported by repeated investment, from which corrupt officials may find opportunities to embezzle funds or get kickbacks from the firms involved.

Apart from cracking down on corruption in this area, something must be done to minimize the opportunities for corrupt officials.

The Beijing municipal government has established a mechanism to co-ordinate the projects between the road building units and those in charge of underground pipelines. A joint conference involving these units will be convened before a new road is constructed to make sure that projects under the road are completed before the road is built.

If carried out to the letter, this measure may prevent the repeated excavation of the same section of road. But it won't solve the problem once for all.

What if an underground pipeline is in urgent need of repair or renovation? There have been some cases of water pipes bursting because of old age in the past couple of years. In such circumstances, the road must be dug up without delay.

Some members of the capital's People's Political Consultative Conference suggested that deeper and wider underground ditches need to be constructed so that any problems concerning underground pipelines will be able to be solved without inconveniencing any activities on the road surface.

This may need a great deal of investment, but it is worth trying because it will stop money being wasted by repeatedly digging up roads.

(China Daily July 3, 2006)