The New Indian Express ·
Three-decade-old water pipeline burst triggers massive cave-in on GNT Road in Chennai
CHENNAI: A major portion of the busy Grand Northern Trunk (GNT) Road at Puzhal caved in around 2 am on Monday following a pipeline burst, leaving behind a crater measuring six metres in length, three metres in width and two metres in depth. The cave-in caused severe traffic congestion during peak hours.
The damaged drinking water pipeline, which is 1,200 mm in diameter, carries water from the 300 MLD Puzhal water treatment plant to northern parts of Chennai. Since repair work is expected to take two days, Metro Water has announced that drinking water supply to Tondiarpet and parts of Manali, Madhavaram and Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar will remain suspended until 10 pm on Wednesday.
Metro Water personnel barricaded the stretch and began repair work soon after the cave-in was reported on GNT Road, which forms part of the busy Kolkata National Highway. The pipeline was laid around 35 years ago, when the National Highway was only two lanes wide. The road has since been widened to four lanes, besides the addition of service lanes, increasing the load over the ageing pipeline, an official told the TNIE.
