Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
A 1,200 mm diameter water pipeline supplying the city developed leaks at three locations. After repair work was completed on Friday evening, water supply to the city resumed at midnight. Water reservoirs were filled overnight, and distribution to residents began from 5 am, according to the municipal corporation’s water supply section. Areas that did not receive water on Thursday night and Friday were supplied on Saturday.
Despite the summer season nearing its end, the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) has failed to provide the city with additional water supply. A trial of the new pipeline was successfully conducted on April 14 last month, but the authority has yet to prepare any plan to channel water into the city. It also failed to supply even 50 to 60 MLD of water through the new pipeline to support the old scheme.
Had the city received additional water during peak summer, the current supply cycle of once every eight to ten days could have been reduced to once every four days. The old water supply scheme is presently in a highly fragile condition, with the ageing 1,200 mm pipeline developing leaks on Thursday night at Jayakwadi, Pharola, and Jalannagar. Repair work on the pipeline took nearly 21 hours.
The deputy engineer (water supply) Kiran Dhande said that priority-based water distribution to different localities in the city began at 5 am on Saturday. The city’s water supply schedule has now been pushed back by one day. Water supply in the Cidco-Hudco areas remained uninterrupted during this period, while residents of the old city had to face inconvenience.