Two die after inhaling toxic gas in Corporation’s drainage sump in Kodungaiyur

Two men, including an engineer, died after allegedly inhaling toxic gas while repairing an electric motor inside a 20-foot-deep stormwater drainage sump maintained by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on Thendral Nagar Third Street in Kodungaiyur on Monday.

The two men, Asmath Basha, 38, an engineer hailing from Vellore district, and Naveen Kumar, 34, a resident of West Tambaram, were employed by Savariya Motors, a private firm contracted by the GCC to repair the motor, entered the sump after one of the two motors installed there developed a fault.

The sump collects excess rainwater from the stormwater channel, which is then pumped out using electric motors. The police said that Naveen Kumar entered the sump to attend to the faulty motor around 3 p.m., but he fell unconscious. Basha then entered the sump in an attempt to rescue him. Both were asphyxiated.

The deaths of the contract worker and the engineer have raised concerns over lack of safety precautions during civic maintenance work.

A GCC official said the workers appeared to have entered the sump without adequate protective equipment. The sump should have been opened and ventilated for about 30 minutes before anyone entered, the official said. A chain mechanism should also have been used to lift the motor for repairs, eliminating the need for workers to enter the sump.

The contractor had not informed the authorities before undertaking the repair work, the official said. The local assistant engineer was also unable to explain why a chain mechanism had not been used.

The incident has renewed concerns over hazardous maintenance work being carried out without adequate safety measures despite the availability of mechanised equipment.

G. Shanthakumari, Chairperson of the GCC Standing Committee on Public Health, stressed the need for proper ventilation, protective equipment and established safety procedures before workers undertake repairs in confined spaces where toxic gases may accumulate.