The Corporation is planning to modify the design for re-laying of roads that caved in after the floods. According to Chennai Corporation officials, as many as 12 roads were damaged in a period of ten days due to corrosion caused by a sudden rise in the quantity of sewage in Metrowater pipelines along 1400 km of roads.
“The amount of sewage increased from 650 million litres per day to 1,400 million litres per day due to the floods. Additional release of sulphur dioxide increased the rate of corrosion, leading to the bursting of old pipelines. The rise in ground water level has also quickened corrosion,” said a Corporation official.
The damaged roads include Sardar Patel Road, R. K.Mutt Road, P.S. Sivasamy Salai, Velachery Main Road and Anna Main Road. The alternative design by the Corporation includes increasing the thickness of the concrete pavement by 110 mm. Work is under way on Deputy Mayor Kabalamurthy Salai in Chintadripet to rectify damage caused by corrosion of the Metrowater pipeline, water seepage, erosion of soil and creation of a cavity underneath.
The additional thickness of the top road layer is expected to bear the load of vehicles for more time, preventing a sudden collapse.
Officials stressed the need for utilisation of technology by Metrowater and Metro Rail to identify cavities developing on roads before the collapse of the top layer.
