“There will be a disaster”: the architect named dangerous sections of the Kyiv metro that are at risk of complete flooding

In Kyiv, the emergency situation and repair of the tunnel near the Lybidska metro station is causing new and lively discussions.

According to some estimates, the consequences of flooding the metro tunnel are much more complex than officially stated. How, in fact, they avoid the topic of the consequences of chaotic development of the territory above the subway line and in nearby areas.

The editors asked the architect, activist and head of the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments Anatoly Frolov, what is the complexity of the emergency at Lybidska and when will train traffic be launched on this problem area?

We bring to your attention the first part of the interview with the expert.

— Last week, the deadline for completing repair work on the blue line was tentatively extended until the fall, although previously the city authorities spoke about “six months.” Is autumn 2024 a realistic deadline for launching full train service between Lybidska and Demievskaya, or is there still a threat that the elimination of the consequences of the accident will be postponed to the next year, 2025?

— If they want to dig a new tunnel, then it will not be 2025, but rather 2026, when, in fact, they will start traffic along that section.

- Why?

- Because there is a serious problem there. Today, many say that it is Yanukovych’s fault, because during his term they built that section and launched new stations towards the Teremki residential area.

But there is geology, and in this situation we need to find the root cause why this accident occurred. From the bridge crossing near the house with the “flying saucer” (on Antonovicha, 180, where the superstructure is on the Ukrainian Institute of Scientific and Technical Expertise and Information. - Author) you will see that the new building being built there today is illegal. Why? Because when houses or buildings are built, they should not cross the boundaries of the “red lines”.

What is now being built where the refrigerators stood (on the territory of the “Refrigeration Plant No. 2” that was demolished for the new Ocean Mall shopping center - Author), the building’s shape began with the “red line”, but it is being built at an angle, and this is already prohibited . This cannot be done.

The architect who designed this violated the norms. In the city, even balconies cannot be made large enough to protrude beyond the “red lines”.

In addition, a very large number of piles were installed on the new construction site. In order for them to stand properly, they must stand on solid ground. The piles there are mostly deepened by 12-15 meters, small, so that they cost less. But if we draw analogies, they will sit in the ground, like a fork stuck in jelly. That is, they will hang out. If you deepen it to a solid base (a table or the bottom of a plate), it will stand firmly vertically and there will be no movement.

Today, I think, the builders have poorly calculated the length of these piles to the level of solid soil. In that area they have some effect on the topsoil. Piles, on the contrary, should impart rigidity. And if you stick a lot of elements into jelly or bread, they will become stronger.

It immediately turned out that there was water underground. It doesn’t only go from above along rivers in open areas. Moreover, when a river flows across the surface of the earth, underground water flows below it - also a kind of underground river. In the Lybidska area, builders blocked its passages and the water spread out, as it did in Podol.

- What do you mean?

— When the metro was being built in Podol, water began to flow into the mines from the nearby mountains. It passes from the heights under the houses, under the foundations, under this entire residential area. When the construction of the subway was completed, the water began to stop and rise due to the tunnels. Then various engineering things were done that made it possible to lower the groundwater level.

If we remember, one of the churches near the Zhitny market collapsed in the early 1980s. There the altar part collapsed and unique frescoes were destroyed. Houses on Podol from the metro line to the mountains stand practically without basements: they were filled with concrete or filled in so that water would not appear there and spoil these buildings.

I looked at the soil on the site of the former Demievsky market - and the same thing happened at Lybidskaya. But after the emergency, geological exploration was carried out incorrectly on the stretch. Some young guys brought in a drilling machine and broke through the soil to see what was underneath. Nobody knows for sure how many of these holes they made. However, water always fills the earth's voids. Also there, I think water filled the holes.

Because of this, the “water mirror” has even increased. Globally, all this was formed due to new development on top. Nobody takes this into account now. Everyone says that everything once happened under Yanukovych. However, let's remember Prince Vladimir! Let's remember the 12th century. Since the 12th century, the Demievsky market, a marketplace, has already existed. It is chronicle.

I went to the urban planning department of the Kyiv City State Administration and asked the question: “Have you already made it an archaeological zone?” There is archeology there, people lived in that area. It needs to be explored, excavated, studied and everything else. Nobody cares.

If we do not have a historical basis, our history itself, then we will not have a future. A nation without history is not a nation.

— Let's go back to the metro. What other problem areas on the blue line and the risks of blocking other tunnels - what should citizens prepare for?

— Water also flows in the tunnel near the Goloseevskaya metro station. This is because, again, high-rise buildings have been built on both sides of the station. A house with social housing was built near the Mir Hotel (Goloseevsky Avenue, 70). But I think they didn’t populate it only because the soil there is very problematic. And they (officials and contractors - author) are so afraid that if people move in there, they will later come to them with complaints and a scandal will break out.

— Why are engineering and architectural work not being carried out to strengthen the soil in that place, taking into account the potential danger, including for the metro and passengers?

— Because there is a systemic problem. Firstly, the Housing Code, developed back in 1984 under the USSR, is still in force in Ukraine.

Secondly, local authorities and deputies working on the ground decide how to manage the territories and develop a master plan. But the General Plan in Kyiv is incomplete, and the Kyiv City State Administration and the Kiev City Council do not control the requirements of even this outdated Housing Code. After all, they provided an opportunity for corrupt actions by officials.

— In the context of the development of Goloseev, does housing construction near the Dovzhenko Center somehow affect the section of the blue line?

— The situation on the Lybidskaya-Demievskaya section was very difficult, and there was an explosion there. Further on at “Goloseevskaya” the metro mines may break through. Because Tkachenko (probably, we are talking about the ex-Minister of Culture - Author) reduced the territory of the cultural and educational hub in order to give the land to developers. They have already built high-rise buildings there - the pressure on the soil has increased. She won't resist that easily. And the underground water was diverted into a now closed adit.

There was a ditch laid there through which the water drained. I think they installed a pump next and pumped this water out somewhere.

In the direction from “Goloseevskaya” to “Teremki” there are no further problems on this metro line.

— What other dangerous critical points on the blue line are there, since we are talking about it in such detail?

- There is a problem on the other side. The section from Taras Shevchenko station to Pochaynaya station is indeed a very dangerous area. For example, when you take the metro from the center in the direction of Obolon, look closely - at a certain section in the direction of “Pochaynaya” the train car begins to rock. This is because in that area of ​​the mine the tunnel size and rotation were not calculated. There were always problems with electrical cables. These problems remain today. In that part, you need to reconstruct, change something, debug.

Moreover, this line is located near the Dnieper harbor. And if you don’t pay attention to the section from the Taras Shevchenko station to Pochaynaya, then a tunnel may break through there too, and then the Dnieper will go into the mines and completely flood the entire metro line. This is a very strong problem.

“Heroes of the Dnieper”, already in Obolon, also has risks.

- What are they?

— This station is very small, low, and the Oasis shopping center was placed on top of it. And Dream Town too. Although, before its construction, a city road had to pass through Obolon so that cars could pass quickly (and drive at a speed of 60 km per hour, and not as it is now, only 20 km). However, the developer was allowed to build a container-type market. Just like what the famous book market on “Pochaynaya” looks like. But the developers built a completely different shopping center.

- Is it possible to do this?

- It is forbidden. At the second stage, during the construction of Dream Town-2, the developers of the shopping center also equipped a swimming pool (at first there was the Dream Island water park, later in its place they opened the Sport Life fitness club with three pools. - Author). You have to think of this - put the pool above the subway! If any problem suddenly arises in the building during a conditional emergency, the water will need to be drained urgently. So there is a risk that it will get into the subway and flood everything. What will it be? Catastrophe.