Shifting utility lines for Metro Rail work in Chennai remains a challenge for agencies

Last month, the busy Arcot Road was choked with traffic as water gushed out of a punctured drinking water pipeline

Work is apace on various arterial roads to execute Chennai Metro Rail’s Phase 2 project amidst bustling traffic. Shifting the utility lines and preventing damage to the existing infrastructure remain major challenges for government agencies.

Last month, the busy Arcot Road was choked with traffic as water gushed out of a punctured drinking water pipeline. A small portion of the pipeline was damaged during Metro Rail work. It took almost a day for the leak to be plugged.

Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has been engaged in the challenging task of shifting its utility lines in different localities to facilitate the Metro Rail work. Despite holding coordination meetings, the water utility is often faced with damaged water and sewer lines at Metro Rail worksites and has to take up the repair work on priority.

Chennai Metro Rail’s proposed 118.9-km Phase 2 project comprises three corridors of Madhavaram to SIPCOT, Light House to Poonamallee and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur.

The construction work — to build elevated viaduct and underground network — is in full swing in different parts of the city such as Poonamallee, Iyyapanthangal, Arcot Road, Vadapalani, Madhavaram, Light House, Panagal Park, Alwarpet, Greenways Road, Adyar, Medavakkam, Porur and Taramani.

Officials of the water board said the coordination meetings were held every month and sometimes at less intervals. However, there is a mismatch between the record of infrastructure underneath the roads and what is actually found on the worksites because of enormous changes or encroachments over the decades.

“The road boundaries have changed by every metre of sewer and water pipelines. We sometimes we find it hard to fix the exact boundary based on the records available,” said the officials.