Bursting of 700-mm pipeline irks citizens

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Before the repairing of the damaged air valve on the 1200mm diameter water pipeline that serves the city's water needs was completed, another major setback occurred on Wednesday at 12.30 pm when the 50-year-old, 700mm diameter water pipeline burst near Pharola. By late evening, municipal workers were still trying to repair the damage. This incident is likely to make an already disrupted water supply situation even more difficult. The majority of areas in the city have not received water for the last 10-12 days. Hence the situation is becoming worse due to the prevailing shortage of water.

Since the beginning of March, there have been significant disruptions in the water supply. There has been a series of pipe bursts, including on 700mm, 1200mm, and 900mm diameter pipelines. On Thursday, March 20, the municipal corporation had to shut down the 1200mm pipeline under the Railway Station flyover for 36 hours to fix leakage, and only after this did the water supply slowly start to resume. On Monday evening, the air valve on the same pipeline at Pharola Junction was damaged, and repairs were completed by Tuesday afternoon. However, by Wednesday afternoon, the 700mm water pipeline burst again. At the Pharola Pump House, a leakage developed in the manifold pipe, causing the pumping to stop. Repair work continued late into the night.

Dependence on tankers and jars

As a result of the disruptions, 90 per cent of the city's residential colonies have not had a proper water supply for the past four days. Since March 22, water supply schedules have been delayed. With no water available, citizens have had to rely on private tankers and water jars for drinking water. Demand for water jars at various centres in different colonies has surged. Areas like Old City, New City, and Cidco-Hudco have not received water even after 10-12 days, and residents are left scrambling for water.

Only one water pipeline operational

Currently, the only operational water pipeline in the city is the 1200mm diameter pipeline. Since the 700mm pipeline is out of service, the city is not getting at least 20 MLD of water. Besides, the 900mm pipeline has been shut down for the past five days. As a result, the city is receiving 20 MLD less water, exacerbating the water scarcity issues.