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Thane pipeline ruptures twice in one day; MIDC announces 24-hour water cuts
A water pipeline in Shilphata, Thane, burst twice on Monday, leading to waterlogging in the area. Commuters travelling along the Kalyan-Shilphata route faced traffic
A water pipeline in Shilphata, Thane, burst twice on Monday, leading to waterlogging in the area. Commuters travelling along the Kalyan-Shilphata route faced traffic snarls around 7pm, with major congestion from Kalsekar Hospital in Mumbra to Khidkali temple, and along the Shilphata-Mahape route.
The traffic jam extended till late on Monday night, even after the water receded.
The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) pipe, which supplies water to Diva, Mumbra, Kalwa and Thane, burst twice on Monday, leading to water cuts for the next 24 hours in these areas.
The pipeline first burst around 1am and was repaired within 12 hours. A second rupture occurred around 7pm.
This is the second time in a month that the same pipeline was damaged. A similar incident took place in the first week of October.
“We informed MIDC about both the bursts immediately, and repair work has begun after the evening incident. Areas like Mumbra, Kalwa, certain parts of Thane and Dombivli will be affected for over 24 hours. The flow of water will be at low pressure for the next two days,” said Santosh Kadam, chief, regional disaster management cell, Thane district.
A senior MIDC official said that the ruptures occurred due to the age of the pipeline.
“The pipeline is very old hence such incidents occur time and again. These pipelines supply water to Thane on high pressure. The pipeline burst earlier in the day must have caused pressure elsewhere. Both incidents occurred just a few metres apart near Khidkali temple,” said the official.
Shilphata road regularly witnesses heavy traffic jams during peak hours. However, Monday’s incident proved to be a nightmare for commuters. “We do face traffic woes regularly on this stretch, but on Monday we had to drive through ankle-deep water due to the pipeline burst. The traffic was moving at snail’s pace,” said Sudhir Ghosh, 46, a resident of Dombivli.
Sachin Gawde, traffic police inspector, said, “We had our staff on the spot to regulate traffic, and the water flow has receded.”
