A 27-year-old daily wage labourer died and a plumber was hospitalised after both men inhaled toxic gas while attempting to clear a blocked sewage pipeline at an apartment complex in Pallikaranai, Chennai, on Monday night, police said. The incident has led to a case against the apartment owner for allegedly endangering life and causing death by negligence.
The sewage had been overflowing at the apartment complex on Veerasamy Street, Second Main Road, in Vivekananda Nagar, because the pipeline leading to the septic tank was blocked, according to police. House owner R Aishwarya, 39, approached Rajesh, who lived opposite the apartment, on Monday morning and asked him to address the problem. Rajesh agreed to take up the work after completing his other duties.
Rajesh later brought Kesavan, the 27-year-old labourer, to assist him. When Rajesh opened the septic tank cover and bent down to inspect the pipeline, he inhaled toxic gas, lost consciousness and fell into the tank. Kesavan entered the tank in an attempt to rescue him, but also fell inside and was exposed to the gas.
Residents alerted the police and fire and rescue services. Emergency personnel retrieved both men from the tank. Kesavan was found dead, while Rajesh was taken to a private hospital, where he was undergoing treatment. Kesavan’s body was sent to Chromepet Government Hospital for a postmortem examination.
Police said neither worker had experience in septic tank cleaning and that they were not using safety gear when they entered the tank. The details point to the immediate risks involved when blocked sewage systems in residential complexes are handled without trained personnel, protective equipment or arrangements for safe entry into confined spaces.
Pallikaranai police registered a case against Aishwarya under charges related to endangering life and personal safety and causing death by negligence. The police case places responsibility for the incident under investigation, while the postmortem and the treatment of the injured worker remain the next immediate steps.
The incident also brings attention to the way septic tank and sewage maintenance is arranged in apartment communities. A blocked pipeline can quickly become a health and sanitation emergency, but the work requires more than opening a tank and inspecting the inlet. Toxic gases can accumulate inside such confined spaces, making unprotected entry dangerous even when the blockage appears to be a routine maintenance problem.
The police investigation will establish the circumstances in which the workers were engaged, the safety arrangements available at the apartment complex and the sequence leading to the deaths and hospitalisation. Authorities have not announced any further action beyond the registered case and the ongoing medical and postmortem procedures.
