Super Drilling Private Limited is pleased to officially announce that it has wrapped up its project for renovating and restoring drainage systems to protect the Ta Prohm temple ruins in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Ta Prohm is a Bayon-style temple built at Angkor in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, near the Siem Reap River. The globally recognized temple ruins were used for the filming of the popular Tomb Raider movies, and the sacred spot is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, the temple is one of the most iconic locations in the Angkor region of Cambodia.
One of the most remarkable attractions of the temple is the interaction between the main structure and natural elements, like massive tree roots and plants. However, due to a lack of proper drainage, the temple has slowly been wasting away.
The Archaeological Survey of India and APSARA (Authority for the Protection of the Site and Management of the Region of Angkor) worked in conjunction to have WAPCOS Limited open bidding to find a contractor who could put a trenchless drainage system in place.
Super Drilling Private Limited (SPDL) acted as the primary contractor for the project, coming up with innovative solutions to the many challenges offered by this ancient temple complex. For instance, the tree system at Ta Prohm is critical to drainage. Root systems also have grown into the walls of the temple, which, though lovely, add a huge structural conflict. The SPDL team said, "We were essentially going in blind. Nobody knew what lay under the ground in the temple complex."
During the project, tree roots had to not only be left undisturbed, but also protected, and teams had to carefully watch for structural and foundational elements that were hidden beneath the ground. Interestingly, teams also had to keep an eye out for buried ancient artifacts, since there were no scans of the underground area available. All of the artifacts recovered were handed over to the staff of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Over the course of the year, Super Drilling Pvt. Ltd. created an entire underground steel pipe drainage system, using trenchless technology, within the structure of the Ta Prohm temple. To do this, the company had to bring in, set up, and run a highly specialized HAB (Horizontal Augur Boring) machine, which was a challenge in itself. The company installed over 1100 m of 200 and 300 mm diameter steel pipes, constructed 35 sinks and chambers, and conducted extensive tests on the site before handing it over. The project design innovatively navigated the challenges of the heritage site, collecting and draining water first into inner moats and then into outer moats, protecting the temple itself from structural damage by standing rainwater. The new system has been specifically designed to stand the test of time as a solution to a centuries-old problem at the temple.
After the completion of the project, SPDL made sure that the reporting and documentation of the entire process was prepared in a thorough and detailed manner, for effective knowledge management keeping in mind internal and external needs for information in the future.
Thanks to the efforts of ASI, APSARA and WAPCOS Ltd, and the innovative and effective system designed and implemented by Super Drilling Pvt. Ltd, the majesty of the Ta Prohm temple at Siem Reap, Cambodia, will remain unspoiled for generations to come.
