Traffic along Tiruchi road hit for more than 3 hours
The 600 m concrete main pipeline of the Pilloor drinking water supply scheme burst at Ondipudur on Monday at about 3.30 p.m. throwing traffic along NH-67 Tiruchi Road out of gear for more than three hours.
The pipeline serves water to Palladam, Sulur, Pongalur, and Madukkarai blocks. Sources at Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) said that the burst occurred because of excessive pressure.
The pumping at Vilankurichi was stopped and is expected to resume late Tuesday night.
The water from the pipeline inundated Tiruchi Road.
The traffic came to a standstill and efforts to clear the traffic block went in vain, as “impatient” motorists tried to outsmart each other. Vehicles were seen lined up for more than 3 km.
The pressure on the pipeline resulted in the top portion of it getting thrown off causing a huge crater on the road.
Even after the pumping was stopped, water continued to flow on to the road for an hour. Normal flow of traffic resumed at about 7 p.m.
A TWAD Board official said that works for replacing the damaged pipeline has commenced. It would take nearly 18 hours to complete the works. Water supply could be resumed by Tuesday night. Sulur, Palladam, Pongalur, and Madukkarai would go without water for at least 36 hours, the official said.
Keywords: Water pipeline, Pilloor, traffic, Tiruchi road, Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board
