CHENNAI: Two workers employed by a contractor engaged by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) died of asphyxiation after inhaling toxic gas while attempting to repair a submerged motor inside a nearly 20-foot-deep well connected to the stormwater drain network at Thendral Nagar in Kodungaiyur on Monday afternoon. Corporation sources said the well may have sewage that had found its way into the stormwater drains through illegal connections.
The deceased have been identified as Naveen Kumar (34), a resident of West Tambaram, and Asmath Basha (38), from Ranipet. A third worker, Karthikeyan, who tried to enter the well to rescue the two, was pulled out by the onlookers after he too began struggling to breathe.
The well is part of a sump and pump facility being built by the GCC through a contractor at a cost of `25.85 lakh. The sumps are constructed in low-lying areas to counter the backwater effect during the monsoon, when stormwater drains are unable to discharge and low-lying areas flood. With a capacity of 50,000 litres, the well is meant to collect surplus rainwater from the drains, particularly those along the third and fourth streets of Thendral Nagar.
The submersible motor installed inside it is used to pump this water to the disposal point at the Kodungaiyur Sewage Treatment Plant. According to the police, the three workers went to the site on Monday to repair the motor, which was not functioning.
Naveen entered the well first but soon began struggling to breathe, and Asmath Basha went in after him in an attempt to rescue him, only to develop breathing difficulties as well. Bystanders stopped Karthikeyan from going the same way when they noticed him struggling to breathe. He then alerted the police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel, who rushed to the spot and pulled out the two workers. They were taken to the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital where doctors declared them brought dead.
The work on the facility was nearing completion when a trial run a week ago showed that the motor was not functioning properly. Civic officials asked the contractor to get it repaired, and the contractor in turn approached the motor supplier, who officials claimed had brought workers to the site on Monday to carry out the repair without informing the civic body and without taking any safety precautions.
Workers are usually lowered into such wells using a chain attached to a girder placed across the opening, which allows them to be pulled out if necessary, but in this case they appeared to have entered the well using a ladder, a corporation official said.
“Even for routine desilting of stormwater drains, we instruct workers to wear masks and safety gear, as several drains have illegal sewage connections. The workers at this site did not appear to have any such protective equipment,” the official told TNIE.
He added during such operations, the lids of at least 10 stormwater drain chambers in the vicinity are usually kept open so that toxic gases do not build up in a confined space and can disperse but wasn’t in this case.
GCC Commissioner GS Sameeran told TNIE, “We have filed a police complaint against the contractor who has engaged the workers without proper intimation and safety arrangements. An FIR is being filed against him. Meanwhile, disciplinary action was also initiated against AE Electrical and AE Division. An inquiry has been initiated, headed by the Regional Deputy Commissioner (North), Sweta Suman, on this matter.”
The police have registered a case under Section 194 of the BNSS (unnatural death) and further inquiry is underway. The officials said a charge relating to death due to negligence would also be invoked based on the findings of the investigation.
Speaking to TNIE, Abu S (24), a relative of Asmath Basha, said the deceased is survived by his wife and 12-year-old son. “We have come to the police station to file a complaint. The government must also announce compensation for the deceased’s family,” he added.
