A portion of Anna Main Road in Chennai’s KK Nagar sank near the Nesapakkam pumping station, prompting an inspection by Metro Water officials and renewed concern over recurring road cave-ins on the city’s busy stretches. Officials said no damage was found to underground pipelines and the affected section was restored by Tuesday morning.
The road was excavated to a depth of about five feet after the collapse was reported on Monday. Metro Water officials examined the stretch near the pumping station but found no damage to the pipelines beneath it. The excavated portion was subsequently closed after the inspection.
A Metro Water official said digging by other agencies in the vicinity may have contributed to the road sinking. The official did not identify the agency or provide further details about the work suspected to have affected the stretch.
The incident took place in an area that has witnessed similar road cave-ins in the past. In November 2021, a portion of Anna Main Road near MGR Nagar Market in KK Nagar caved in after a leak in an underground sewer line. The earlier incident had linked the road failure to damage in the city’s underground drainage network.
The latest collapse comes amid concerns over road failures associated with bursts or leaks in Metro Water pipelines and sewer lines. Similar incidents have been reported over the past two months in several parts of Chennai, including Velachery, Old Mahabalipuram Road, Perambur Barracks Road and GNT Road, according to the report.
These failures can disrupt traffic on major roads while also raising questions about the condition of underground infrastructure and coordination between agencies carrying out excavation work. In the Nesapakkam case, however, Metro Water’s inspection did not establish pipeline damage, and the suspected role of nearby digging remains an official assessment rather than a confirmed cause.
Metro Water officials said the utility would identify vulnerable and ageing sewer lines across the city and replace them to prevent similar incidents. The statement did not specify the number of lines to be replaced, the locations to be covered or a completion timeline.
The immediate affected stretch on Anna Main Road was rectified by Tuesday morning. Further action will depend on the identification of vulnerable sewer infrastructure and any examination of excavation work undertaken by other agencies near the Nesapakkam pumping station.
