CHENNAI: For the second this week, a portion of Brindavan Street in West Mambalam caved in due to a leak in the underground sewage line. The latest leak is being attended to by Metro Water officials and will be fixed in a day, said officials.
The recent cave-in is over five feet in diameter. On Monday, another portion of the same street, around 100m away from the latest spot had caved in. “We are waiting for Metro Water officials to fix the leak. The same road has collapsed in two separate locations this week but it has nothing to do with the quality of road. It happen when there is a leak underneath the road,” a corporation official told TNIE.
Metro Water officials said that they were still looking into what might have caused the cave-ins. “From first glance, we do not think there is anything to worry about using the stretch. There have been leaks in the underground sewage pipeline which caused the cave-in,” said a Metro Water official.
The official added that trenchless technology that is increasingly being used may have disrupted or dislocated the sewage pipes. Trenchless technology focuses on carrying out underground work like installation or repair with minimal disruption in the form of trenches, to the ground above.
“Usually when private or government agencies want to carry out underground work, they coordinate with the corporation. If we are also involved in the discussion, we can make sure that there is no disruption to underground metro water supply or sewage lines,” the official said.