A sinkhole measuring about 15 feet in diameter and 10 feet deep opened on Perambur Barracks Road near a sewage pumping station in Pulianthope on Tuesday afternoon, prompting the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) to barricade the area and begin rectification work.
The cave-in occurred above a 1,200-mm reinforced cement concrete (RCC) gravity main leading to the Purasawalkam old sewage pumping station, according to a CMWSSB official. The official said the site had been secured and that the contractor had started repair work after instructions were issued to expedite the operation.
The affected pipeline carries sewage from Purasawalkam and Kellys to the old pumping station, residents said. Locals also said the pipeline is around 50 years old and suggested that deterioration in the underground network may have caused soil erosion beneath the road before the surface collapsed.
The incident has raised immediate concerns for motorists and pedestrians using Perambur Barracks Road. CMWSSB’s barricading of the area is intended to prevent people and vehicles from approaching the damaged section while the rectification work continues. The supplied report does not provide details on the duration of the road restriction or whether traffic has been diverted.
Residents and activists said the latest cave-in was not an isolated incident. Similar sinkholes of comparable size were reported at the same location in October 2021 and November 2022. Officials had attributed those earlier cave-ins to damage to the sewage pipeline.
V Sathiya Balan, an activist and Pattalam resident, said authorities should examine the condition of the entire pipeline instead of repeatedly repairing only damaged sections. “A sinkhole has occurred three times in the last five years, putting the public at risk. CMWSSB should find a permanent solution instead of providing temporary relief by repairing the damaged portion every time,” he said.
The repeated failures place the condition of ageing underground utility infrastructure at the centre of the public-safety concern. While the CMWSSB official attributed the latest cave-in to damage to the 1,200-mm RCC gravity main, the supplied report does not state whether a full condition assessment of the pipeline has been ordered.
The immediate response remains focused on securing the site and restoring the damaged section. CMWSSB officials and the contractor are expected to continue the rectification work at the Perambur Barracks Road location, with the civic water and sewerage agency having instructed the contractor to complete it quickly.
