36-hr outage in Bhopal turns 3 days of no water, BMC dispatches tankers

Bhopal: Bhopal is staring at an alarming water emergency as the Kolar gravity main repair drags on far beyond its promised Wednesday deadline. The pipeline, which replaced the city’s 40-year-old supply line in 2021, is the backbone of Bhopal’s drinking water system — and its failure has left lakhs of residents struggling. Kolar pipeline alone contributes nearly 37% of Bhopal’s daily water requirement.

The Kolar pipeline outage in Bhopal began at 10 am on Tuesday, when the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) shut down supply for emergency repairs. The disruption was initially announced as a 36-hour shutdown but has since stretched beyond schedule, leaving residents without water for almost three days.

Special teams have been deployed to work continuously on the repair. Once the line is restored, it will take 8–10 hours for water to reach the filtration plants, meaning distribution will only normalize gradually, said Garg. Morning and evening supply cycles will resume after this lag, with some neighborhoods likely to receive water later than others -- cutting supply for nearly 36 hours across major areas including Shahjehanabad, Nishatpura, Hamidia Road, Moti Masjid, Shahpura, Trilanga, Arera Colony, Tulsi Nagar, Shivaji Nagar, Char Imli, Chuna Bhatti, Kotra Sultanabad, MP Nagar and Gulmohar Colony.

In the interim, BMC officials claimed water tankers have been dispatched to the most affected areas to provide relief. However, residents have reported pressure drops and leakages in certain localities, compounding the inconvenience. The outage has disrupted daily routines, forcing households to ration stored water and businesses to rely on tanker deliveries.

The prolonged disruption has drawn significant public interest, as the Kolar line is the backbone of new and old Bhopal’s water system.

Authorities have emphasized that the repair is complex but assured citizens that teams are working round the clock. Once the gravity main is operational, supply will stabilize across the city, though full restoration may take until late Friday evening.

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GFX

City’s current daily requirement now hovers close to 460 MLD, up from an average of 440 MLD

Bhopal currently draws most of its water from the Narmada and Kolar pipelines, supplemented by the Upper Lake.

Upper Lake: 115 MLD

Kolar Dam: 162 MLD

Narmada Project: 170 MLD

Kerwa Dam: 20 MLD

Total Daily Supply

Adding these together, Bhopal is receiving around 475 MLD (million litres per day) from its combined sources.

BMC has 60 tankers and 72 booster pumps are tasked with sustaining non-piped areas across 85 wards and 21 zones