Chennai: A massive road cave-in occurred on Grand Northern Trunk (GNT) Road after a Metrowater pipeline burst on Monday, causing traffic congestion and panic. No injuries were reported. Metrowater is carrying out rectification work, which will disrupt water supply to four zones till Sept 9.The burst occurred in the early hours of Monday on a 1,200mm diameter main pipeline that carries drinking water from the 300mld Puzhal treatment plant. The cave-in occurred in the Cycle Shop area of Puzhal on GNT Road, part of the Kolkata national highway, rendering nearly half the road unusable. Traffic came to a standstill on Monday morning, with vehicles queued up between Red Hills and Madhavaram.
The cave-in occurred in the Cycle Shop area of Puzhal on GNT Road, part of the Kolkata national highway, rendering nearly half the road unusable.
“Pipeline replacement work is underway,” said a Metrowater official. This will disrupt water supply in Zones 2, 3, 4 and 6 until 10pm on Sept 9, affecting thousands of residents across north Chennai.In Zone 2 (Manali), water supply will be hit in Vadaperumbakkam, Theeyampakkam, Kosappur, and Chettimedu. In Zone 3 (Madhavaram), the affected areas include Ponniammanmedu, Vinayagapuram, Bank Colony and parts of Kathirvedu. In Zone 4 (Tondiarpet), water supply the entire area will be cut, while in Zone 6 (Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar), residents near Perambur railway station and Kannikapuram will be affected.Metrowater officials said they have deployed additional lorries to supplement its existing fleet in the affected areas. “Repair work is being carried out in coordination with police and officials from National Highways Authority of India,” an official said. Residents can register for water delivery through ‘Dial for Water’ at https://cmwssb.tn.gov.in.D Neelakandan, president, Federation of Madhavaram, said road cave-ins have become common across the city. “GNT Road sees heavy traffic every day. This damaged stretch will cause more traffic and delays. The authorities should take public inconvenience into account and finish the repair work soon,” he said.
