UGD pipe leakage: Road caves in at Ambattur, narrow escape for biker

CHENNAI: A biker had a narrow escape on Sunday afternoon after the Karukku Main Road near Ambattur suddenly caved in, plunging him and the bike into the crater on Sunday afternoon. Saravanan, the biker, was pulled out with minor injuries by passersby who immediately came to his aid. Police sources stated that the man owned a medical shop in the neighbourhood. The rear wheels of a lorry passing on the stretch also got stuck in the pit. Traffic remained largely unaffected as it was a weekend, even as the police quickly barricaded the spot, diverted two-wheelers to interior lanes, and barred heavy vehicles. Speaking to TNIE, a Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board official said the cave-in must be due to a possible leakage in the 750mm sewage pumping main that runs beneath the road, carrying waste water from Karuppampulam to Karukku and further to Korattur and Kodungaiyur treatment plants. Leakages over days may have loosened the soil and made it hollow beneath, causing the collapse, said the official. Repair works began around 6pm. The official added that a similar cave-in had occurred on the same stretch two years ago due to pipeline leakage. Since it is underground, detecting such faults early is challenging, the official said. Police, city corporation, and metro water teams rushed to the site after the incident to check on the issue. While locals rescued the biker, police personnel later retrieved the two-wheeler and the lorry stuck in the crater. The corporation official said the road will be restored at the earliest possible. In June, a similar cave in, around 6ft deep and 8ft wide, appeared in the middle of Perambur High Road, above the century-old British-era brick arch drains, which run beneath the roadway. The officials had then claimed the rain must have loosened the soil. Last year, two such cave ins occurred owing to leakage in the underground drainage pipeline - a 10ft deep crater on Kuppusamy Street near Anna Salai in Chinna Porur, just 15 days after the road was laid, and another 10ft deep crater on Greams Road near Thousand Lights in October.