CHENNAI: A 37-year-old contract worker engaged in sewer network improvement works for the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) died after inhaling toxic gas inside a manhole at Tirupati Nagar 1st Main Road, Kolathur, on Saturday. Another worker and the site supervisor suffered injuries while attempting to rescue him and have been admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
The deceased, K Kuppan (37) of Kallakurichi, is survived by two young sons. The injured were identified as T Shankar (40), a worker from Kallakurichi, and S Hariharan (28), site supervisor from Mettukuppam in Chennai.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior metro water official said the workers were involved in brownfield improvement works to upgrade the existing sewer network by replacing the smaller diameter pipelines with larger ones. “This work involves laying new pipelines at a depth of 2-3.5 metres alongside the existing network, which runs about 5.5 metres deep. Once the new pipelines are ready, household connections are gradually shifted,” the official said.
The incident happened on Saturday afternoon, when Kuppan entered the existing sewer manhole to check some blockage and provide connections, notably without proper safety gear, which led to toxic gas inhalation and his death.
“The machine hole itself was around 3.5 metres deep, which made the situation worse,” the official said. He further noted that the works were being carried out by a private contractor, and not directly under CMWSSB’s operations and maintenance (O&M) staff. “Our O&M workers are well-trained and no longer enter manholes manually. In fact, no such incident has occurred in recent years in Chennai under our teams. But in this case, the construction workers, engaged by the private contractor, entered the live manhole without our supervision,” he said.
The official added that contractors are regularly sensitised that any work inside a live manhole should only be undertaken under the supervision and assistance of metro water’s O&M field staff. “Unfortunately, this protocol was not followed on Saturday, and the workers entered suddenly, which resulted in a person’s death,” he said.
Police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the spot, retrieved Kuppan’s body, and sent it to Stanley Government Medical College and Hospital for autopsy. An FIR has been registered.
With inputs from Rajalakshmi Sampath