Chennai: Mylapore road caves in as old arch sewer collapses

CHENNAI: A portion of the busy Sivasamy Salai in Mylapore caved in on Tuesday morning, the fourth such incident in the past three years.

Corporation officials who visited the spot initially thought the cave-in happened because of a Metrowater pipeline burst, but an inspection revealed that it was an old British era brick and mortar ‘arch sewer’ that gave away.

“During the British time, several such arch sewers were constructed. They are 7 feet wide and have a special water collection point,” said an official. The name comes because it has an arch-like structure and it is that huge that even a car can pass through it.