CAIRO: Veteran engineer and Metro consultant said the sinkhole on Geish Street was a result of negligence and the poor implementation of the metro line project, refuting media reports of underground water in the area and weak soil. In a press conference Monday, engineer Mamdouh Hamza accused the French company constructing the metro line of covering up its own negligence and the errors conducted during the drilling by claiming that the sinkhole was caused by weak soil. "I myself conducted extensive laboratory research and analysis on the soil in this area in 2002-2003, and discovered that the soil is very good and solid, he said. Several French companies were awarded contracts to work on the metro line project, including Vinci, Bouygues, Alstom, the Thales Group, Coals Rail, Eurovia Travaux Ferroviaires and Systra, however, Hamza did not specify which one he was referring to. Earlier this month, two sections of Geish Street in the Bab El-Shareya area collapsed due to work on the new underground metro line, causing two adjacent 10-meter and seven-meter sinkholes. Concrete was poured into the sinkholes, which, according to Hamza, resulted in more cracks in the surrounding area. Hamza, whose firm supervised several grand projects in Egypt including Bibliotheca Alexandrina, said he called for the press conference to "clear my conscience and fulfill my responsibility towards this country and its people, refuting allegations that he might have a hidden agenda. He explained that although he is not directly involved in this project, he still offered his services because he was the technical consultant for the Azhar Tunnel project as well as the first and second metro lines. Hamza also criticized the head of the National Tunnel Authority, who said that the government is willing to pay more than LE 60 million in compensation. "The company is the one responsible for [compensation] not the government, why is he covering up for the French company and its contractor? They should cover the expenses of the losses, he said. Hamza said the main problem lies in the fact that the National Tunnel Authority serves at the same time as the technical supervision body, which is illegal according to civil law. "The French company was awarded a LE 4 billion contract, killing the competitive spirits between other consultant companies in Egypt, he said. He called for terminating the contract with the French company "especially now that we have physical proof of their failure in implementing and managing the project. Hamza told Daily News Egypt that it is unlikely that operations will resume in the coming weeks as promised. "It might take them at least three months because the damages were severe. Hamza expressed his willingness to help the project without being paid. "This wasted money, time and energy can be better used for education and health projects, he said. After the incident, Cairo Governor Abdel Azim Wazir ordered the evacuation of surrounding buildings, pending safety inspections. Families affected by the crisis are being hosted in hotels and reportedly receive up to LE 1,000 in compensation per day. Dr Mamdouh Hamzaprovided reporters with a video he obtained of the landfall as it happened and the subsequent damages. To watch the video, visit Daily News Egypt's Youtube channel or go directly to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quIuy-5RD2s
