Same pipe, more leaks

Two days after the ruptured 72-inch Tansa main forced a 35 per cent water cut in the city, more leaks were detected in the same line near Pogaon village in Bhiwandi district on Wednesday afternoon, reports Bhavika Jain.

Two days after the ruptured 72-inch Tansa main forced a 35 per cent water cut in the city, more leaks were detected in the same line near Pogaon village in Bhiwandi district on Wednesday afternoon.

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According to civic officials, an additional 20 per cent water cut will be imposed while undertaking the repair of these leaks. There is a 15 per cent water cut already imposed.

“We have applied for sanction to undertake repairs of the leaks that have developed in the line. Once the repairs begin we will have to increase the cuts again to 35 per cent,” said Chief Hydraulic Engineer, Vinay Deshpande.

The cuts were rolled back to 15 per cent from Wednesday evening after work on the 100-year-old Tansa line was completed.

He said that work is likely to begin tomorrow and will be completed in a day.

“We will have to undertake the repairs soon to avoid a burst of the same magnitude,” added Deshpande.

“Water supply was restored by Wednesday but will be back to normal from Thursday morning. And the water cuts will be restored to 15 per cent,” said Anil Diggikar, Additional Municipal Commissioner.

The reason for these sporadic burst and leaks in the Tansa network is its age. Laid during the British Raj, the network is 100-year-old and needs to be replaced urgently.

The 41-km stretch between Tansa lake and Tarali village near Bhiwandi has ruptured at least 50 times in the last five years at different places leading to wastage of several tons of water.

The two lines Tansa (east and west) together bring 455 million litres of water everyday from the lake to the Bhandup Complex where it is purified. From the Bhandup Complex the distribution network provides water to the western suburbs and parts of Island city.

The work of replacing the Tansa main began in 2008 but only 6 km have been replaced till now. A provision of Rs 380 crore has been made to continue the replacement.

“The 250-km Tansa network within the city has ruptured more than 300 times in 2009. Not all the leaks were major but it affected supply,” said a civic official from the hydraulic department.