MANGALURU: Kudla residents will be left high and dry, if the broken pipeline at Thumbe dam is not fixed immediately. Mangaluru’s only water supply connection from Mangaluru City Corporation’s (MCC) vented dam in Thumbe went inoperative since Saturday after the pipeline broke.
As a result of the breakage of two 18MGD pipelines that connects the reservoir to Mangaluru city, the water supply came to a halt. The pipelines were damaged due to illegal dumping of high-volume debris from construction sites at a vacant site in Kannur on the city outskirts.
Mangaluru City South MLA J R Lobo said of the two pipelines that were damaged, the 18MGD pipeline has been restored after hours of work. Hence, half the city will get water possibly by midnight on Monday or in the early hours of Tuesday. The other 18MGD pipeline will be rectified by Tuesday, he said.
The engineering wing of MCC worked to fix the situation using machinery and manpower. Intermittent rain hindered the work. Officials initially expect the work to be completed either late on Monday or by Tuesday morning. However, despite repair works taken on a war footing, Lobo said it will take a day more to ensure water supply to all consumers in 60 wards and outside even after the pipeline is repaired.
Chance of crises
Houses and buildings in low-lying areas will get water soon after the repair. Those in hilly terrains may get water only a day after the completion of repair work. Although the pipeline was cut on Saturday, not many suffered, as water was stored in pump houses as well as sumps in apartments and independent houses. However, crises can arise if the supply is not restored by Tuesday.
Lobo said that he has asked police to book criminal cases against those who dumped the debris on public property, which has now disrupted the water supply.
“I have directed officials to find the persons, who dumped debris from construction sites at Kannur. I have visited the spot and found that the pipeline 10 feet below the ground is broken. Since the pit dug to repair the pipeline is filled with water, the work is getting delayed,” he said, adding that the water supply will be restored by Tuesday.
The MLA also asked MCC officials to levy penalty and bear the entire expenses of the repair from those who dumped the d ebris at Kannur. He said the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board has already identified land at Adyar and Kunjathbail in the city for the dumping of debris from construction sites.
Courtesy: Times of India